Down With the Inner Shards
by Machinal0me
Summary: sequel to Down With the Azure Shards to read.. It isn't because you're back home that it means it's over... something still threatens Cameron Mitchell in a mysterious way... will it drag down once for all our favo hero? *whump*
1. Chapter 1

**Author note:** I wanted to end my fiction _Down With the Azure Shards_ the way it was at the last chapter: I like sudden beginnings and sudden ends, just like short stories. Even if I suggested to people to write the aftermath if they felt like doing so, HAZMOT's comment tempted me so much to do it myself that I finally decided to try a sequel. Because I respect a lot this writer and am grateful for the good comments leaved at many of my chapters, **I couldn't just say the saga of Camy-boy and the evil monster of blue pebbles is over yet**, at least not with that much unanswered questions. Of course I still think that _Down With the Azure Shards _has a good ending, but now this is for very curious people that haven't been discouraged because of my bad grammar and my poor vocabulary: the after effects of my first fiction. So I suggest to those that haven't read this other fiction to quickly do so (or if it is too disheartening to read or that you forgot some points; just send me a little message and I'll summarize it to you).

Things will be a little different: less crashes/funny explosions/gun fights and direct shots at Cameron (Yep, but he cannot be bloody all the time! Poor boy!). **Still I won't give up on a nice little whumping**: I will work more on mental abuses than on physical ones (referring to the definition that includes one and/or the other). Cam will fight for something else than his live or his friend ones… (You'll see in times. That of course still amuse me ;P ) And things will get mystifying a little: I don't want you to guess the end of course… surprises all the way long it means, and evil cliff hangers probably D . Just pay attention to the line separation: it is not there to make the text look nice and neat!

I do not own Stargate SG1show character and all, there might be violence and mild language (as if I know exactly how offending those swearings really are: English is not my native language.). A little inspired by the episode and another one of Farscape that if I tell now what it is it will ruin all the surprises.

**Now I hope you didn't hate my long babbling and I hope you'll enjoy _Down With The Inner Shards _**

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"The operation will soon be completed: only a few inches of the…?" Dr Lam began, explaining at the SG1 team about their leader's case.

"Um… a kind of _piece_ from a Letelk…" Daniel answered. Seeing the look on Lam's face; just as she expected the team to come with a clearer explanation, Jackson added slightly sheepishly: "A Letelk is the being that… did this to him. We can't tell what really happened when the hostile being managed to injure Colonel Mitchell this way; no one saw it but him of course." After all he knew only one way to get a spike in somebody's chest and it was by impaling him… though Cam already had the thing in his body when they found him on the ice and out of the freezing water.

"Right, it doesn't matter much. What I was saying is that, as lt. colonel Carter suggested, we are gradually removing the foreign body to make sure it would completely heal the gash it leaves. In a few hours, the barb will be entirely out and won't leave even a scar on our colonel." Lam informed them.

"That's some good news. Can we talk to him a little?" Carter said. It was a relieve to know everything was going well and that the handsome man would soon feel better.

"I doubt so; he is still on sedatives to ease the pain the process causes. He won't come out until we are assured the operation is completed." Lam answered.

"And you really have to keep it _this_ slow that long?" Vala asked.

"Well, he still has a large hole right beside the heart and straight unto his lung so: yes." The doctor answered, frowning at Vala's lack of common sense.

"It wasn't taking that much time when he was with me in the ship corridors…" Vala let out with a shrug.

"What happened in the corridors?" Carter asked her, curious to heard whatever odd story she had to tell.

"I shot him… maybe three times in a row." Mal Doran answered nearly playfully as she took a fake pondering look.

"You did what?!" Daniel let out with disbelieve: no wonder why Mitchell was that bad, Vala didn't help him at all! And what if he didn't have this healing ability? That would have been dramatic after all.

"It was an accident, and he was well right after!" Vala protested to defend herself.

"But he must have been in quite a Hell at this moment…" Jackson commented with reproach.

"I said it was an accident: he was dressed as one of them, I couldn't have guessed!" She protested, pouting.

"You still can see him if you want to: the visiting hours end in about fifteen minutes." Lam interrupted them on a neutral tone to cut their talk, ignoring their childish arguing.

"We will not miss this opportunity, Doctor." Teal'c assured, slightly and politely nodding to her. At the same time, the Jaffa was amused of the silly situation Mal Doran was in. He was also happier now that he knew they were all out of danger and he was in mood of a little laughter. He also knew that if Mitchell would be with them at this time, he would have took advantage of the situation to joke about it and tease Val and Daniel.

"Then I will join you at the infirmary: I still have a thing or two to take care first: he is stable anyway so he won't need anyone to check his vitals too often."

Lam told them, a light smile on her lips as they all saluted each other and leaved to their own destination: she was heading for his father's office for a little usual chat about his injured men's conditions and SG1 were heading for their leader's bed. Maybe they would be able to get back to missions with him very soon. Still the off-world operations were all frozen since there were tests to run on the Gate to find out if the alternate wormhole SG1 took had _damaged_ the usual one in a way. Until then, the technician team couldn't really tell and they couldn't risk trying to pass in and ending up anywhere else in the universe. Because if the irregularity came back, the team travelling could get lost once for all if it wasn't only to get killed in a horrible way. So all the SG groups were held on Earth for a little while. Though Vala, Teal'c, Daniel and Samantha were not unhappy to be able to stay at Mitchell side and take it as a breather for once, still hoping that somehow the Ori were not gaining too much ground at this time.

* * *

He felt as if the beam of light strong enough to slightly pass through his eyelids woke him up. But he wasn't feeling like doing so, sitting up and switching for his lying position: he quickly realised that every movement would wake as well his sore and stiff muscles. He only wanted to stay still in these clothes with light fabric that remembered him some kind of cheap pyjama, but the light wouldn't allow him to get back to sleep. It was like it was bringing back an old friend of his: headache, a phenomenal headache. With a grumpy grunt, the colonel tried to roll on his side to turn his back on that light and keep it from jerking around with his headache, but his eyes shot open when something looked really wrong…

He couldn't move; he was restrained; his arms on his side and a link across his chest that hold him on what seemed to be a mattress. The straps were slightly padded to not harm him, but still… He tried to fight hard, but it was vain and after a few minutes he felt too tired to keep on any longer against what fastened him down. It took a few anguishing seconds for his sight to get used to the light and to clear from this kind of blurred fog… than he realised he was in the SGC infirmary. He would have rubbed his eyes if he could; puzzled to wake up it this place and tied up on an infirmary bed. What happened again? And why was he alone and restrained? The last question was the most important: even when he tried to get away from Lam to get back in mission the faster he could, they wouldn't dare attaching him…

And habitually, at the moment he opens his eyes, Carolyn or any nurse would immediately move to his bed and begin to ask usual questions or explain what happened. You couldn't be alone for too long when they were waiting for you to wake up. As he fought again, he felt a slight unpleasant pressure on his arm and noticed the IV line: at least they had a reason to set him in this room if he had been injured. Yet even with all the medical equipment linked to him and standing around, he realised that wasn't quite it: except the fatigue and the disheartening stiffness, he didn't feel that wrong… maybe a little numb in his pectorals, but nothing more, no particular pain at all. On his visible skin, there was no mark, wound or scar, absolutely no sign of any serious injury.

"Hey! Hello! Is there anyone in here?" Cam asked loud enough to be heard.

Nothing, simply the beeping and humming sounds of the medical equipments. Cameron sighed and looked around quite desperate and drained: fine, he will have to wait for someone to show up, even if it was tied up on a bed in this so embarrassing way. Even the sheet they surely put on him was pushed to the end of the bed, useless to him if it would have been cold or anything. His sight wandered around to the evil source of the beam of light that woke him and he found it: he looked carelessly at this window with half closed curtains, lost in his thoughts. This situation seemed familiar and soon everything from his last mission came back to his mind: the ship, the rebels, the Letelk… and its spike. That could explain why he was there, at least why he was in the infirmary: about the straps that fastened him, he couldn't think of a good reason. There wasn't any good reason. Mitchell lifted his head the best he could, trying to see anything that could prove the barb had been removed. Yet the baby blue light t-shirt he was wearing would hide any bandage or scars. Trying to fight or to switch position did nothing.

But something struck him: he saw a window… wasn't he in that base dug deep in a mountain? A window to the sunny outside when he was many levels under the ground? He quickly turned back his head to stare at where he saw it only to find a plain infirmary wall… and no curtain or sun beam or glass at all. Blinking in disbelieve –because once more he couldn't reach his eyes to rub it- Mitchell stayed stun a few seconds and then slowly set his eyes on the IV line.

"What the hell they gave to me this time…?!" Cam said to himself with utter wonder: he clearly hallucinated not so long ago. Though the image seemed so clear… and he was sure it was what woke him up!

He fought once again, but this time he was trying in vain to get rid of the line without using his fastened hands: he really didn't like the idea of being plugged to anything that was driving him high in a situation that mysterious. Maybe his legs weren't attached, but what use could it have in this case? To push the sheet further and of the bed? Useless! Cam let out a frustrated groan and shook the bars on the side of the bed setting his attention back to the restraints. Maybe he could loosened those bars, take those out of the side of the bed then slide the restraints off and get his hand out of the strap…

"I wouldn't even try if I were you, now calm down a little: you'll take out your IV…" Carolyn's severe yet concerned voice could be heard as she walked quickly in and went to Mitchell's bed.

"I was thinkin' about it… Now can somebody tell me why am-I all tied up like this?!" Cam said with impatience, lifting his head to look at Lam in the eyes.

Yet the woman was checking the equipments, the line and the drip; she was quite busy looking, as if she didn't want to look directly at him and his mesmerizing eyes. She even looked cold with him… or maybe more bitter. Something felt wrong, still Cam couldn't tell why, but he was sure the woman was not like she used to be with her patient, no matter how much they pissed her off.

"You were quite hectic and feverous: we needed three men to help the nurses and I to set you back in your bed. It was the only way to keep you from harming yourself even more…" She told him strictly and simply. It was clear that there was something sombre in her tone; like the way the man acted had troubled her somewhat.

"What, really?! But I don't remember anything!" Mitchell exclaimed; quite taken aback and it showed in his face as well. How could it be true?!

"No wonder why…!" Lam snapped as she was motioning for his restraints, still not looking at his face.

"And where are the others?"

Cam asked, remembering his friends: most of the time when he is in there, they were always near and ready to visit him. Yet he felt absolutely embarrassed: if he has really been that delirious and hectic, he hoped truly that his team didn't see him in that state after all. It was a sight he would have like to spare them, whatever if he really didn't want to believe he lost his mind in any way… Though Carolyn had no reason to lie to him and fool him to think he had been violent without being aware of it…

"They were sent in a mission yesterday." Carolyn answered as she was reaching for the buckle of what fastened the man.

"Already?!" Mitchell was quite puzzled and surprised: Landry would have sent them right after the last failed mission, as he was supposedly delirious and they wouldn't mind at all?

"You slept 3 days first and stayed delirious about 2 more days. Then you stayed unconscious since Saturday." She stated slowly just as she was trying to remain stoic. She wasn't looking at him; but how embarrassed, freaked up and confused he was! How disturbing and bewildering it sounded! Knowing he was speechless without even a glance at his facial expression, she added to specify: "Today's Thursday."

That was even worst and he didn't say anything more, blinking with disbelieve and concern: he had no memories of what happened for more than a week! Was it because of the concussion? How could it explain the apparently mad behaviour? Was it because of the Letelk thing removal?! As he was still wondering as hell, the colonel felt slightly relieved when he saw her setting her fine hands on the strap that held his arm poked with the IV…at last, he was going to be free, he would put on some more fitting and usual clothes, he would ask for a day off to think of what really happened when he lost his memories, he would come back with the right apologies if he needed to and he would try to see if he could catch back on the rest of his team to help them in their mission…

But he suddenly stopped thinking about what he was planning to do then; his eyes opened wide when she simply tightened the restraints, not saying or explaining anything else to him.

"Hey wait wait wait! Why are you… I'm fine now, I… I'm not some kind of whacko anymore! Don't tell me that isn't obvious now!" Cam protested; trying in vain to keep the doctor away from the links he was fighting. It was a mistake; she couldn't just make sure he wouldn't move much when they had no reason to keep him this way now that he had his entire mind.

"I'm sorry colonel: you said about the same thing last time and it didn't end very well. We will wait until you are completely healed before re-evaluating your case." Carolyn explained as she was checking the other straps.

"To _re-evaluate _my case?! What's that all about; some sort of tests to find out if I'm insane?! Ok I have no idea of what I was doing and I don't even remember whatever I've done, but now I can assure you that I'm _mentally_ fine. It wasn't me then, but currently it's the real Cameron Mitchell talking… And I can't find any reason to keep down on a damn hospital bed the real Cam Mitchell!"

Cam protested, seriously annoyed: they escaped the monster, the rebels, Mayka and all and now he's back to the situation where no one trusts him and where he is strapped to a bed. How could he be patiently accepting all this and wait for anything that will come next?!

"Oh and the _completely healed _part; what is it supposed to mean? I've been awake for a li'll while and it wasn't that bad." He added, still trying to meet her eyes to convince her.

However, at this moment they could hear a slight muffled ringing and the woman immediately took out of one of her pocket her pager: she read the short message with concern and immediately turned to leave the room, letting out a simple hurried:

"SG3 are back with a medical urgency, I have to go…" Before rushing by the door without leaving Cam enough time to protest or ask something more.

"Lam! I swear I'll stay still if somebody's to untie me up!" Mitchell exclaimed nearly desperately, rising his tone to make sure she would hear as she was quickly leaving.

But she wouldn't listen to him and it seemed like this part of the infirmary was cleared up to keep him isolated or something. Grunting with frustration, Cam dropped his head back on the pillow; that was a quite unpleasant situation. He tried to fight and switch position on the bed to find out if any part of his body was more hurting than the others but that was quite inconclusive fastened as he was; like he was a kind of madman. Whatever happened in this week, he had the feeling it had something to do with the Letelk spike. But what does the thing did to him; wasn't it supposed to only heal him? How could it drive him that crazy if what he has been told was true? At the same time he hoped he wouldn't stay in there any longer and won't harm SG1 and disappoint his friends in any way…

At this moment he heard the door opening and some footsteps in the entrance. Mitchell turned his head toward the doorway, hoping it was someone out to help him out of the restraints. But the time he did so, the person -that turned out to be a nurse- that entered in was already at the bed near the door to ready the sheets and the bed for a new patient: he could only see her back as she was working.

"Hey, lady, please: this is a mistake I shouldn't be still with those fastenings on… Y'mind giving me a hand?" Mitchell tried to negotiate, trying to hide as well his frustration to be held by his own people and his hurry to be free. But the nurse was still turning her back on him, ignoring him.

"Please; I'm not delirious anymore…" His tone was more desperate.

Again she was ignoring him, still readying the infirmary bed and not facing him. Maybe she was given the order to not take care of the colonel…? Exasperated, the man thumped at the pillow with his head and began to fight and shake the bars of the bed once more with anger. That jolted the nurse and she suddenly faced the man, exclaiming:

"Colonel, stop doing this please: you will ruin up your stitches!"

"Stitches?! What stitches: I don't feel anything wrong! I…"

Cam began, but suddenly interrupted himself: he stayed stunned; mouth gaped and wide eyeing the nurse that he could now see her face clearly: she looked awfully familiar… And the more she approached to reach for his restraints, the more he was shocked to find he wasn't hallucinating…

**To be continued**


	2. Chapter 2

Or was he? That just couldn't be true!

"Ok, ok… now that is seriously… I'm hallucinating; only a hallucination and that isn't real… not a chance."

Cam let out, speaking to himself, trying to stay cool headed and positive… and trying to convince himself a little. He was taking deep breaths but couldn't stop staring with shock at the nurse with wide opened eyes. But the woman wasn't quite paying attention to his astonishment: she was busy taking hold of the buckle of the straps and unfastened it, letting out an exasperated sigh. Maybe she had her hair long and tied a little bit loosely on the back side of her head so the dark brown pony tail was going down on one of her shoulder... but it still was her. On her typical SGC nurse clothes, there was a small label.

"Oh… and you even have a cute tag with your name on…"

Cam kept on; talking half to himself and half to her now, the situation was too crazy to believe. Maybe she could help him with that, tell him that he was in fact having visions and mistaking a real nurse with _her_... He thought though that it was only her face that he was seeing wrong, but the fact she really had her name on was getting truly weird. She was backing off slightly and got round the bed to untie his other arms and his chest. Even with one arm free, Cam wouldn't dare moving, fearing he might still be hallucinating: why would _she_ or any real nurse help him if he had been acting madly lately?

He had to stay logical and to look a little further: maybe then he would stop this craziness before going really insane. Maybe there was actually some nurse around, but not the woman he thought he was seeing… And breaking into quite defensive behaviour like he only wanted to do would probably harm him and some real members of the medic team… And he couldn't tell if he was really well: maybe he had fought to break free so he used some of his stiff muscles, but they kept telling him he was somehow still injured so he couldn't help but begin thinking about the possibility.

" ' didn't know t'was written that way though… And I didn't know it was possible to actually _read_ a vision…"

Mitchell kept on in an undertone, getting more and more freaked out as he was thinking more about the situation: was it only in dreams that it was impossible to read anything since those are only a bunch of subconscious feelings and memories mixed together…? He heard something like that on a BBC show on that subject once, maybe long ago he couldn't remember and it didn't matter much. He was still wide eying this vision as the too familiar nurse was reaching for the two last buckles.

"Um… what did you guys put in _that _anyway?"

The colonel asked her with a tone he wanted way more sure than it really was; as he was nodding to point out the IV line. He was getting slightly nervous now since what he thought was vision wouldn't go away… and he was unbelieving even more.

"I don't know what you are talking about: it's only a saline solution, that shouldn't even drive you dizzy."

Even her voice was the same. He scoffed to try to hide how freaked out he was… but couldn't help but flinch and recoil slightly in the mattress when he hand brushed his still tied up arm as she was unfastening it. That was way too real! He stayed stunned and staring at her suspiciously until she was over with the restraints and would even take them off when she realised he wasn't moving much or doing it by himself. Once she backed off to look at him, exasperated that he would stay that dumbly shocked like he saw a ghost or anything, Mitchell finally decided to say what he had in mind since she came in -now that it was too much to just pretend nothing special was happening-:

"You…I… I thought you were dead!"

"Oh I still am… but I feel much better now" Mayka Royer simply answered with a broad cheerful smile…

Unable to believe what he just heard, shocked as hell, Cam slowly raised one nonplussed eyebrow –maybe a little bit Teal'c's style- as he was as slowly understanding her words… But before he could even react, she smiled in a really creepy way, simply pushed aside her hair to show the side of her neck and she even tilted her head on the side. Where he remembered having seen the wound left by a rebel bullet, there was an even greater gap black as the most disgusting gangrene and surrounded by dark bruised rotten skin and a kind of thick and dark crimson liquid flowed down it. Even her eyes seemed to have turned as glassy as the ones from dead bodies. And a trickle of black blood was dropping from her mouth, staining her devilish smile…

Horrified, Mitchell only had the reflexes to jolt to his feet and out the bed to escape this impossible nightmare: he had to be hallucinating! That couldn't be a real zombie or something! However, perhaps he had his arms and upper body freed, but he moved so quickly that he entangled his right foot in the sheet that have been pushed at the end of the bed and didn't quite landed of his feet. Instead, he felt soundly right on his back and in a huff, the foot still stuck on the bed and the air all dragged out of his lungs. He didn't care how silly he must look with his upper body and his -knocked painfully once more- head on the floor; trying to lift himself enough to reach and free his now hurting entangled ankle, still freaked out by the vision of the undead woman.

Yet he was so suddenly stiffened that only trying to move more was hurting every single muscle in his body and he felt like he had no strength at all in his abdominal muscles. Mitchell's sight was getting darker with the blurred cobweb now filling it and he probably have let out some huskily grunts and panting as he was still fighting; he couldn't tell, it was like he went deaf for a minute or two. And the too familiar nurse that had now a large stain of rotten blood on her clothes seemed to be approaching in a really threatening was, grabbing the other end of the IV line still linked to Cameron's arm. She showed it with a victorious look on her face and she unplugged it to take the tube alone and pinched to keep it closed; and then she slowly brought the end close to her lips and took a deep breath.

The colonel stunned right on place to look at her with dismay, he understood immediately: she was going to blow some air in something linked directly to his veins… He knew that an air bubble dragged in the blood vessels to the heart could be fatal in only a few seconds!

"What the Hell!?"

He let out in shock; before fighting to get free even wilder. Yet she was still grinning evilly and bringing the end of the line always closer to her mouth. Cam changed his mind and instead quickly took the IV out of his arm and reached for the side of the mattress to shake it and loosened the sheet holding him in that stupid position. Why would all his muscles hurt and shake that much? Every movement he made was exhausting, painful and of course way too slow… Beads of sweat appeared soon on his forehead just like he had a bad fever or something like this…

He finally broke free, not taking care of where the zombie-like vision was now or what she was doing, and could at last try to roll to his hands and knees to try to eventually stand. However, at the moment he was shakily leaning on the side of the bed to get back to his feet, he suddenly heard a panicked voice coming from the other side of the room:

"Oh dear! What are you doing off your bed, Colonel?!"

He turned his gaze to look at her, still startled by the nightmarish danger that threatened him few second ago. A kind looking middle-age woman, a real nurse he saw once or twice before, rushed to him; very concerned to find the patient faintly fighting on the infirmary floor. Without answering anything and with eyes wide opened, he quickly turned his head back to where Royer stood the moment before… She had disappeared.

"And how did you managed to tear off the bands?!"

The woman kept on, joining Mitchell the other side of the bed and helping him up. Yet Cam was blinking in shock at the same spot, absolutely puzzled and speechless; as he was near to be unable to stand still since he was so unsteady and staggering. The situation wasn't easy: he just hallucinated… but it seemed so real and he even felt the supposedly dead woman when she touched him! And how could he explain the fact that indeed he was now free when he had no mean to do so all by himself. At the same time, he couldn't admit that she was there for real: that isn't logical at all, there was no real explanation, not even some kind of hologram or something like Anubis once used –as stated in the SG1 reports he read… and it would be catastrophic if any enemy could get in SGC from another planet and simply walk in to kill anyone she wanted. They would have detected her anyway…

So he could only believe he had a dreadful vision… but that would mean he was going insane and Cam would never recognize such a thing. He felt like he was thinking clearly -though a little less when he felt from his bed and bruised his back, his ankle and the back of his head- and couldn't believe anything was wrong with his mind. Maybe that was because of the Letelk spike: the Cadelan said it could alter the behaviour so perhaps it had a secondary effect on his brain. But that wasn't a pleasant idea either and that wouldn't explain how could he feel suddenly so worn out and so much pain in every muscles as it wasn't so bad when he was still fighting to break free, before Lam or the nurse would come in…

"You saw no one else in this room but me when you came in, uh?" Cam asked the nurse huskily, clearly puzzled and pondering seriously on what the hell was going on. He couldn't find out what he really wanted to hear her answering: the situation wasn't right at all.

"What?! No, there wasn't anyone else…" She began, frowning at him in wonder. There was maybe also a hint of surprise in her tone. She immediately stopped from helping him and pushing the tall man back on the bed to scrutinize him.

"You sure; no one got out either…?"

He asked to be really sure, setting his baby blue gaze back on her. She could clearly see how troubled he was only by looking in his eyes, whatever if he stubbornly kept on his poker face to not show it. He also looked to be hardly standing on place like he would collapse or faint, but in too great denial to fall back on the mattress to end this wearying effort. The colonel _acted_ like he was alright as usual…

"Yes I'm sure no one came in this room but Doctor Lam and me since 9 am…" She answered, even more perplexed because of his odd insistence.

"So no dead captain let loose on the base… that's getting' kind of thorny…"

Cam let out to himself in an undertone: he was trying to stay as cool-headed as Carter to get through this crazy situation, but there was something nervous in his tone and his behaviour now. He licked a dry lip. There was a short silence where the nurse stared at him with surprise and maybe even with a little bit of fear and where he wasn't even noticing. Then the woman realised the man was probably feverous, remembering what happened few days ago; she became more severe and firm and help him quickly back to the infirmary bed. Cam hadn't enough strength left to fight it – and could only believe that maybe it was better for him to let them take care of him until his mind wouldn't be that screwed up: to know he was hallucinating that much was slightly worrying after all- and finally lied down docilely.

"Doctor Lam won't be pleased at all: you nearly tore half of your stitches; she will have to start again!" The nurse sighed as she was setting right the pillow before the man would put his head back on it.

"…What are you talking about?! Why does everybody keep talking about that?!" Cam asked, getting slightly irritated since that didn't make any sense: he had only one injury and it was the one left in his chest by the spike… nothing more!

"What isn't going to please me?" Carolyn asked as she was coming in, having only overheard few parts of their discussion.

She was looking kind of relaxed, or at least Lam-relax: she was always quite serious when it came to her job, only less severe when she was in good mood. Cam frowned: wasn't there a medical urgency not so long ago with SG3? Why would she be already back if it wasn't to get some more appropriated medical supplies? Though when her eyes went on Mitchell, she immediately looked really irritated and walked furiously to his bed:

"I knew I couldn't trust you: look what you've done now!"

She reprimanded him firmly, staring at his body and finally reaching him to examine him. Sceptical to see she was also playing along that really bad joke, Cameron raised an eyebrow at her. But he did nothing but flinched when Lam set right the IV in a new vein and fixed the thing as it should be on place on his limb. He was only expecting some explanations and was willing to let her poking him with that thing -he now disliked even more- if it could help him understand what was going on or if he was really losing his mind.

When he felt the nurse wiping one of his forearms with a clean wet clothe, the man lowered his wondering look to watch whatever she was doing. But that was a shock: out of nowhere, all along his arm, there were some bandages stained with large spot of blood. It was even trickling on his limb and staining his hospital pyjama with dark round mark. The piece of clothe she held was now stained with his own haemoglobin he had no reason to lose that way... He quickly tore his arm off the nurse's hands to stare at it with disbelief:

"This… that can't be true! There was just _nothing_ less than a minute ago! Where's that coming from!?"

He exclaimed with utter dread and daze, still wide eying his wound-dressed arms. Both women sighed with annoyance as if they were thinking he was simply insane and freaking out for no reason at all. Lam set her attention on the IV drip ruined when Mitchell pulled on it when he was alone –or that was what she thought- while the nurse tried to grab back his upper arm. Yet he broke free in one quick or nearly frantically move and tried to sit up. He managed to hold back some grunts when all those bleeding parts of him were hurting as hell and when he felt those magically appeared stitches wrenching his skin when he was pulling himself to a sitting position:

"I came here first for a piece of blue crap impaling me!... What is that all about now?!"

He raised his tone with anger, overwhelmed by all those troubled emotions and dreadful thought; truly pissed off by all this nonsense and the tendency the woman had to treat him as he was absolutely stupid or crazy. His headache was getting even worst by now and he felt as if he couldn't last for too long if the hammering would keep on getting more sound and painful. After a short silence where Lam and the nurse were stunned and alarmed by the sudden aggression and he was frowning at both of them; he snapped between his clenched teeth -just like he was trying hard to remain calm and fight his anger-:

"For a hell of a piece of shit impaling me… not to let you take care of some kind of _sick_ wounds I never heard about before wakin' up…"

"Ok, now you calm down, lower your tone and stop talking to me this crudely: that's not my fault if your situation might be…" Carolyn began, getting over her surprise and getting quite irritated as well.

"How did I end up with these; how could I end up with giant band-aids everywhere and creepy hallucinations? Or even some memory loss to only hear then that I've been a total jerk for an entire week?! I can't find any reason to explain even a scrap of that situation… That. Doesn't make. Any. Sense!…" Cam interrupted her with a cold tone that showed how peeved he was to hear everyone beating around the bush that way. He was also emphasizing on every of his last words to make sure they would understand that something was wrong.

"Lay. Down." The doctor growled and commanded; emphasizing as well and frowning.

"Sorry, _doctor Lam_; not until somebody explain to me what happened and what is still going on..." Cam nearly hissed, getting even suspicious in addition. He was looking at her right in the eyes in a nearly intimidating way that spoke of so much bravery and stubbornness. He didn't explain more what he wanted to know: he couldn't really tell about it himself after all.

"Jacobson, you're ready?" Carolyn asked the nurse, her tone suddenly softer and more professional as she was ignoring the colonel. She moved slightly away from the IV drip.

"Yes doctor." The nurse Jacobson simply answered, setting carefully her hands in the back of Cam.

"Ready to do what?" The man said and looked at both, puzzled but surely suspicious.

Yet something bothered him; a kind of fuzzy feeling that was slowly creeping over him. Cam shook slightly his head, still not understanding… until he saw Lam remove a hidden and now emptied syringe from his drip and setting it back on a tray beside the bed. She gave him a sedative to calm him down for real when he was too busy being angry to notice it...

Trying to fight the lethargy and unable to stay angered and sharp, Mitchell opened wide surprised eyes yet with an offended look on his face:

"You… you're such a… an evil… doctor…!"

He muttered before slowly losing his grip on reality, unable to fight and helped gently by the nurse to slowly lie back on the bed. Jacobson set him carefully on the mattress, treating him too tenderly for the confused and sluggish man's opinion, but he couldn't help but fall deeply asleep.

* * *

**hehehe… that is getting weird, uh? D **

**To be continued…**


	3. Chapter 3

Vala came in first with a hint of a concerned look on her face, followed be Daniel, Samantha and Teal'c; those last were a little less worrying though. They could see as they were walking to the end of the room that there weren't much people in the ICU so Lam was nearly alone with the nurse and the colonel. On a remote bed, the man was lying motionless with a pale sheet up to his stomach, a large white bandage around his torso and many types of medical equipment linked to him. But the most disturbing was always the tube popping out of his mouth to help him breathe; the endotracheal tube Lam used to say. While on the subject: Carolyn noticed SG1 and turned to face them.

"How is he doing, doctor?" Carter asked her as her gaze was shifting to the handsome man's face.

"We've completed the surgery about two hours ago and the… _Letelk_ thing is now removed entirely. Because the impairment was quite important after all, no matter the impressive healing effect the foreign body had on him, we will keep him in intensive care a little longer. He is on a mechanical ventilator for now since he doesn't breathe by himself yet. I must admit it shouldn't be too surprising if we consider what he has been through… But I don't think there will be any problem and soon I'm sure he will become autonomous. Until that, we can only wait for him to come around." Carolyn explained to them.

"So that went very well; no complication?" Asked Daniel; still it was more like a statement.

"Well… now that you mention it…" She instinctively glare at the monitors before keeping on: "Colonel Mitchell have been agitated for a little while not so long ago: some convulsions not too worst than a quivering while he was still asleep."

"This is likely to Earth pets called dog when they are having dreams in their deepest sleep." Teal'c observed very seriously, remembering something he saw at TV once when he still had his apartment. The others glared at each other; half amused, half surprised.

"Perhaps. We will pay more attention to the encephalogram readings and his vitals then. But it could also be a hint of a fever; in this case we will have to check for any infection" Lam said, not daring to believe the tall Jaffa was kidding her.

"There shouldn't be any danger now…?" Enquired Vala; the woman was slightly frowning to hide her concern.

All the way to the sick bay, Daniel and she argued about the impact of her three shots at Cam and Jackson kind of made her realised that maybe she should be more upset about their leader. After all, he sacrificed himself many time to keep them safe, especially in that last mission. Now that she pondered more on this, in fact she became aware that losing him wouldn't be good at all… Definitively not good at all…

"Colonel Mitchell is doing fine and he should be improving very soon, you shouldn't worry about it." Carolyn answered.

"That is some good news. But now that I'm thinking about it: General Landry received instructions to send the alien piece to Area 51 for further studying so he asked about sealing the spike you cut out and forwarding it to him." Carter informed her. She knew Carolyn wouldn't just throw the barb of Leletk pebbles away like this in a biohazard giant trash basket, but she had been given orders to remind her as well.

"Fine, I will send someone to do so. It was already sealed in a special box in case it was emitting anything harmful anyway: you should know we're never careful enough." Lam acknowledged.

"Indeed."

Said Teal'c; standing behind Mal Doran, Carter and Jackson. Sam and Lam smiled slightly, always as amused to find the Jaffa would never give up on his saying. Then a silence followed where they all stayed lost in their thoughts while watching Mitchell and listening to the perpetual sound of the ventilator and the beeping of the monitor. If it wasn't of all the medical equipment surrounding him and helping him breathing or staying alive, the man would seem to be only peacefully sleeping, looking so innocent that there was no way to guess he was a well trained military and a sharp shooter that killed many enemies before. But Carolyn suddenly looked at her watch and frowned: it was getting late.

"I know that may sounds old, but I will ask all of you to leave now: visits are over… Why don't you get some air, after all I heard General Landry gave you a day off…" She said. Although she was serious as usual, her tone seemed nearly teasing.

"It seems like you have special inside information…" Daniel complained not too seriously, alluding to her father.

"Very funny… now, all of you, out before I have to kick you outside the infirmary myself! We're not in the mess hall so I do not need more people roaming here when I am working." Carolyn threatened. Maybe she would never get to be violent with any one; but she was serious when it came to take care of her patients and would not be pleased if SG1 wouldn't respect her "territory" and her authority.

"But what about Mitchell?" Vala asked to protest.

"I don't think he'll wander around much for now… Still I will make sure you will be warned immediately when he will wake up." Carolyn informed to reassure them. She had to be firm, but she couldn't help to admire such a good friendship between team-mates.

"Alright so we'll be back really soon then…" Daniel said, teasing yet still looking as neutral as usual; he was sure Cameron would soon be back on his feet and ready to joke and chat in his particular style to do so.

"We will see…"

Carolyn commented on a tone that clearly meant: "yeah yeah, we got it… now get out" . So SG1 made their way to the door, Carter and Teal'c amused by the physician and cheered to know everything was fine, with an imperceptible smile on their face. Then came Jackson with a slightly exasperated look on since Lam was tyrannical in his opinion and finally Vala that kept on glaring over her shoulder to keep her eyes on the colonel; feeling a little guilty for having forgotten that the bullets she shot at him were maybe not that fun after all… Once they were all walking away and trying to find something to do while they had the next day off, Lam got back to her patients as usual. Things were just right.

* * *

This time it wasn't a light coming from nowhere that woke him up; it was the noise. Cam couldn't tell if that was better or worst, but he sure knew he still had a cruel headache that gave him the feeling his heart was directly pumping and beating in his head, shooting that painful pressure in all his brain veins at every pulse. The sound had something alarming, like people in hurry and it didn't take too much time before he became intrigued. Now he only had to fight the kind of thick fog keeping his mind from thinking clearly. Then something stroked him quickly: he recalled what happened the moment before until he has been sedate. Not the kind of memories you enjoy recalling though…

Then the first thing to check that came to his mind was his restraints. Cam immediately tried to move to find out he had been fastened once again on the bed, but at least in a different way: there was one single strap holding him on place by getting over his chest and his upper arms. He had his hands and his forearms free, but couldn't reach the buckle or sit up, or even slide from under the belt-like link. The man let out a muffled frustrated grunt, testing the link in a try to break free he knew it would be vain anyway. And he was right. Maybe things would have been easier if the thing Lam gave him wasn't making his entire body still stiff and weak… or was it really because of that shot she gave straight in his IV line? After all that wasn't the right secondary effect…

Yet there was still the noise all around in the room and Mitchell fought to open his eyelids: it was the med team, numerous nurses and all kind of specialist he didn't quite know every of them. They were quite busy and hurried and soon Cam realised they were taking care of another man, rushing to treat that medical emergency: there was equipments and people working all around his bed, shouting orders, asking for some type of medicaments or of tool, for some health tests to set up for this other soldier… Nurses were running in their so organised –but sometime hard to get- way and Carolyn Lam was leading this weird flurry. A woman working with them drove a tray to the side of where all the activity was happening and leaved it there before joining all the other professionals surrounding a bed.

Mitchell became a little worry and tried to stretch his neck to see better what was going on the other side of the infirmary, but most of all who was the new injured SGC employee. It took a little while before a nurse stepped aside to get something for the physician and would let Cam catch a glimpse of the man's face. He was awfully wincing because of the pain, dropping his head backward to let out some howl he couldn't hold, crying supplications and feverish words Mitchell couldn't hear quite well because of all the surrounding noise. The colonel licked a dry lip; serious and sombre with empathy to the poor young soldier he saw once or twice before, bitterly knowing that he couldn't help him at all. The young one was trying to fight the nurses as to keep them from hurting him even more -whatever if it was to help him they had to do so- and he was getting hectic.

But Cam's feeling went from empathy and being sorry for the other to utter interpellation when he heard a part of what the other was exclaiming with hysteria and fear between his agony screams:

"I have to get back there! We… we have to… send support! They're gonna get killed! They'll be killed!!"

Mitchell's eyes opened wide; he was alarmed: even if it was probably another SG team off-world grouping some soldiers he didn't know very well like this injured one, it still was concerning him and hoped it wasn't a really critic situation such as an enemy attack going on while he was kept tied down to a bed. Another nurse brought a tray as well and let it in the way, closer to Mitchell's bed but still about 10 feet away from him.

"I'm the… the only one that can help them: the Ori patrol was… was not the... main trouble! An entire fleet… on its way and th… they even don't know!!! That was a trap!" The young soldier kept on, trying to fight in a lot more frenetically way, not listening to Lam's and the nurses protests and warnings. He was kind of absolutely entreatingly.

"Wait, what is going on, who's in charge of that mission?" Mitchell raised his voice so his question could be heard by the injured soldier.

He was frowning with concern at it showed slightly in his serious yet pressing tone, even trying to fight the strap to switch to a more sitting position that could allow him to see better. The soldier noticed for the first time with his wild eyes that Mitchell was there and was suddenly emboldened that somebody like the lt. colonel was listening to his warnings. A nurse passed in a hurry before Cam's bed, accidentally walking in the tray let in the way and pushed it aside, too busy to take care of it. It rolled quite closer to him, but it wasn't if concern at all...

"It's… It's SG1!!! They'll get killed!!!"

The soldier screamed to him, utterly hysterical; so much the physician had to sedate him. At the right moment he understood his words, a scene appeared to Mitchell just like a flash of something happening far from the infirmary or the SGC: it was blurred but he could clearly see a very poor medieval type village and blast of light coming from the weapon of the hidden Ori soldier were flying everywhere and killing villagers. Then out of nowhere he clearly saw Carter leading the way and followed by Vala, both looking quite alarmed and taking cover behind a kind of statue on a large pedestal. They were sometime looking at their weapon with despair, a clear sign that they didn't have many munitions left. Then Cam caught the sight of Teal'c and Daniel: Jackson was carried and it seemed that he has been critically injured by the enemies' weapons; he was sluggish in the Jaffa strong arms, pale and bloody. The two managed to join Vala and Sam behind the statue, still under heavy fire. Oddly enough, even if Cam could see the scene just as he was there, he couldn't hear anything: he was simply seeing their mouth opening and closing as they were talking, probably discussing about a plan to make it to the Stargate and really fast. Though it was obvious the situation was really bad.

However, it seemed for Mitchell that the time suddenly stopped: he heard a distinct sound, a dreadful one; about twenty or way more quick shots coming from behind… It was the trap the young soldier wanted to warn them about. And the split second after, every members of the elite team was stricken by at least one of the Ori shots, falling back on the floor… The vision disappeared; it didn't last a second of his time at the SGC.

Mitchell felt as if he had been struck right on place, on his infirmary bed, by a 10000 volts lighting. He immediately stunned and opened his eyes widely, flooded by horror, shock and fear… That couldn't be true, that couldn't be happening! He had to get there! He had to warn his friends before it's too late! Utterly anxious, Mitchell didn't say anything, trying even harder to break free from his links: he couldn't stay there while his friends were under attack and risking to get killed with no chance to fight back! This vision could become reality at anytime now! But those links were meant to hold any kind of hectic military men and Cam would only drive the skin of his arm raw and bruised where the strap was fastening him. The med team was too busy to notice him, but he knew they wouldn't help at all.

Yet Cam's eyes suddenly went on the tray that rolled really close to his bed not so long ago: in a metallic platter, there was exactly what he needed… a scalpel. Led be desperation, he pulled the most he could on the straps; feeling like this scene was also very familiar… maybe because something quite similar happened back on that alternate Earth… No: something _way too similar_ happened back there; odd coincidence… He had no time to waste thinking about that: he had to leave this place and help his team. At last after a great effort he reached the surgery platter and pulled it toward him: it fell on the bed and the knife-like tool nearly struck him in the fall. Again not taking care of that eventuality, he worked to get the scalpel in his hand and cut in the strap. When he succeeded cutting off what fastened him down to the mattress, he immediately jumped on his feet, ignored the utter headache and the stiffness in all his muscle and made his way to the door in running; taking advantage of the fact everybody in the room was busy trying to save the young soldier.

Just before passing the doorway, he stopped suddenly: Cam had noticed on a desk near the exit his usual uniform he wears on the base, let there just as if they were planning to give it to him or anything. Remembering he still was in that hospital-style pyjama and bare feet, he decided to change really quickly: he put the blue shirt over the pyjama shirt and put his boots on without lacing those in a hurry, carrying the pants and his black t-shirt in his hands and rushed out the room. He had to go to the control room, persuade those there to let him go to that planet where the rest of the team was, grab a weapon and get off-world to warn them and escape then. He ran and brushed past many SGC staff, not even saluting them; though they were more like eying with surprise the man running half dressed that seemed so hurried. When Mitchell finally reached the elevator, he took the advantage of being alone in it to catch his breath and switch from the pyjama top to his regular one. However as he was getting to the pants and was only in boxer shorts, the elevator stopped before he expected… and the doors opened on a soon really surprised young sergeant woman that had in mind to catch the elevator up. They both looked at each other in surprise for a split second before the woman blushed slightly, still looking intensely at the handsome man.

"Um… sorry: you'll have to take the next one…"

Cam let out while he pressed on the button to immediately close the doors and start back the elevator: he had no time to waste, whatever if a lt. colonel of SG1 walking around in underwear was going to be the subject of many jokes and discussions in the next weeks. The sergeant must have stay stunned there in front of the closed elevator for many more minutes, amazed by that vision… And Cam reached the gate command room at the time she decided to call for another one up.

"Dial in their position and open the gate; I must catch back on SG1, now!"

Mitchell commended and pressed has he rushed in the room and stopped next to the command panels; to lean his hands on his laps, panting heavily. He was still feeling kind of bad, sadly short of breath and like if all his muscles were bruised deeply; but he had to think of his friend's sake first.

"Lt. Colonel Mitchell; what the Hell is that all about?!" It was Landry.

Mitchell didn't expected him to be there and slightly jolted, took a more straight position to salute his General. But the old man was looking at him suspiciously: the younger one had obviously dressed up in a hurry since his T-shirt wasn't set right, his blue one over it not buttoned and his boots weren't laced up. In addition, Cam was pale and had dark circles under his blue yet slightly bloodshot eyes, his hair were kind of dishevelled and there was even a trickle of blood flowing down one of his forearm meaning he must had tore off the IV line too quickly when he left. Plus there were those insanities the colonel made coming back to Hank's mind… and his as alarmed and feverous look he had now.

"Sir, I don't know where they are right now, but we have to warn them ASAP that they're runnin' straight into a nasty Ori trap! We have to send reinforcement at least…" Cam explained seriously and on a pressing tone.

"_Mitchell_…" Landry interrupted him, looking like he was trying to remain calm; but he still had something firm and cold in his tone. After a really short pause, he kept on in emphasizing every word: "There's not a chance that we send any troop by the Gate for them."

"Wh…_What_?!"

Cam let out with utter shock, unable to believe what he just heard; he glared at the command room staff with wide opened eyes and slightly gaped mouth as to make sure the General was serious. But the leery look on the face of some, the more sorry one on the other's face and the obviously pissed off one on Hank's face were clearly telling the General meant it…

**To be continued! And next chapter'll be better :D**


	4. Chapter 4

They wouldn't send some help; they wouldn't let him run alone to warn his team that was seriously in danger… that wasn't making any sense!

"General, you gotta be kiddin' me!" Cam let out with shock, before trying to find a good reason for that refusal: "Do they already know? Is there any trouble with the Gate that would keep them from coming back or sending someone in?"

But the old man seemed to quickly lose patience and being pissed off by the colonel's behaviour, getting even more severe looking… and even seemed to stay willingly out of Mitchell's reach somehow. Yet before he could say anything to the younger man, Cam suddenly got struck by a bad feeling and exclaimed with clear trouble and disappointment:

"Sir, it's b'cause you think I'm not in condition to leave off-world, right…?"

"Someone, get me doctor Lam… and fast." Landry said so seriously to one of the technician beside him, not taking his piercing eyes off Mitchell as if he was watching him carefully. The technician made the proper call for her.

"General, I don't need to go back there; there is more serious thing going on and the worst I get are some mild scratches… I'm fine!"

Mitchell tried to convince him, looking even more desperate: he was losing precious time and soon will be taken back and held down at the infirmary if he wasn't leaving the place. But something bothered him: he immediately lowered his eyes and lifted his hands to check at his forearms… Again, he was shocked; where were the wounds he had before Lam would sedate him?! There wasn't even a scar or a bandage left, nothing that would tell of any injury. He couldn't have slept long enough for that to heal… and that damn spike wouldn't still be there to heal him isn't it? Cam unconsciously touched his chest where it has been only to find that there wasn't anything, keeping his utterly puzzled and freaked out stare on his forearms. Dizziness was overwhelming him again like the confusion was too much for his already weary and confused body and mind.

"I couldn't have just _imagined _it: what did the so called Jacobson and Lam treated then?!"

Mitchell let out with shock and talking to himself, not realising he was clearly heard by everyone in the room. And it wasn't helping him: they looked at him as if he was some kind of mad man… Landry was even more exasperated and annoyed looking as he fought to tell Mitchell without being too harsh on Cameron: after all it wasn't his fault if he was losing track on reality the general was thinking…

"Mitchell: you are _not_ fine at all, whatever what you're thinking." He paused, eying the now quite startled colonel, and then kept on: "And I don't what brought the idea in your stubborn mind, but SG1 is dismissed for a week and none are confronting the Ori in any way!"

"Dismissed?... But I saw them getting killed and…" Cam began with surprise and astonishment, interrupting himself when he realised how wrong what he was saying sounded. Yet it was too late.

"You _saw_ them?..." Landry began, frowning on that particular statement that was telling him his colonel was going worst than he thought.

"That young… that other man in the infirmary he was there before getting' injured, he knew what was going to happen: just ask him!"

Tried Cam, to defend himself, knowing that explaining what he saw back on the bed wasn't quite sane looking now that he got to think about it. He was breathing more quickly and in a shallow way; in an attempt to control the burst of anger, utter concern and shock that, all melted together, were beginning to overwhelm him. He had to stay calm, whatever was going on and what he hoped it would be happening for real, and to not get lost in this madness. But slowly something began to bother him in his breathing: just as he had his airway numb before the moment but it was gradually able to feel again.

"No one has been injured in the past two days." Interrupted Landry firmly: why was Lam taking that long to get there and take care of the now crazy colonel? That was kind of hard, even for him, to see a once so valuable leader getting unable to behave sanely…

"Fine, you'll ask your daughter then… you'll see I haven't just _imagined_ all this!" Cam replied wryly, nearly losing his cool.

In fact he was getting even more bothered with the strange feeling down his trachea as if the stress of his situation wasn't enough. Yet, as he tried to take a deep breath, planning to seriously apologize for being so disrespectful with his general, it felt as if something simply blocked the way to his bronchus that suddenly. Immediately he gasped and tried to cough out what was choking him, clasping his hands at the base of his neck; but that wouldn't work. How alarming it was and quickly he was starving for oxygen, mouth gaped, blinking his wild eyes and choking even more, unable to breath in or even out. Quickly, his vision was blurring and his lungs in fire, his headache so intense he thought somebody struck him right on the skull from behind and he was so light-headed he could have sworn he wasn't touching the ground anymore.

He wanted to call for help, in utter distress and unable to understand what was going on and why he was strangled by an invisible hold or why everybody in the room were not doing anything to help but stare at him. Cam's absolutely shocked pale face went to a more blush-like color first, but when his mind became more and more as choked as he was, he got back to an even paler complexion.

* * *

"Remove the apparatus; he's trying to breath."

* * *

Mitchell dropped a knee to the floor, still nearly passing over but somewhat taken aback for an odd reason: straight in his foggy mind, he heard a muffled voice, unable to recognise it or even tell if it was a masculine or feminine one; only a sputter shrieking in his brain and driving the pain in his head even worst and even more alarming. He was hearing voices now… great.

He was going to die; he could feel it, even if he couldn't make any sense of what was going on actually: his world was twirling and he feared he was going nut. Not even a scream or a huskily wheezing, not even helped by the people working with him everyday or so… Cam was still trying to breathe in, or even to breath out, to cough out whatever was choking him but it was useless, just as if he had no power on all that anymore. Somewhere before his nearly blinded eyes, a pale shape seemed to rush his way, speaking something he couldn't hear or understand, resting a hand he barely felt on his back.

* * *

"He's not ready to do it by himself yet; we must set the ventilator back…"

* * *

That voice again, concerned or maybe pressing, so distorted, so close yet far at the same time that it sounded dreadful. Every word would seem to knock on his temples and down his spine, like it was clawing and trying to tear off his life away. Mitchell had the feeling he was hearing it with a kind of time-lag, like it began before he would choke with no reason at all but the words were coming late and foolish into his mind filled with cobwebs… As he was already weakly thinking of his own death, air rushed suddenly in his airway and back in his burning lungs, causing a so unexpected and brutal shock that the man simply fainted and collapsed from his kneeled position into a black abyss.

* * *

"So, how Mitchell's doing?" Hank asked Lam as he was entering the room with his usual military mannerisms.

"Only a few minutes ago we thought he would breathe all by himself and without the tube, but we were wrong. He still needs the ventilator and we will wait a little bit more to try to remove the tube next time." The physician explained as she was completing checking on another patient.

"Is it something we should be worrying about?" The man asked, frowning with wonder. After all he knew that needing that kind of care was serious, but he knew that some people are set to that kind of equipment after a harmless surgery as well…

"Well probably not, at least not that detail: he is getting more fretful even if he is still unconscious and his encephalogram is showing unusual pikes. We're still trying to figure out what it may be though it doesn't seem to be fever or any kind of internal damage." Lam answered.

"Internal damages; an injury to the torso could drive a man agitated?" Hank wondered.

"I was thinking more of brain injuries: he had a bad concussion, even with the alien object healing effect." The physician said.

"Ah don't mention that: he asked me to ditch the debriefing to get to you! I wasn't expecting that at all from our colonel…" The general commented, still affected by the scene he saw less than two days ago. "Did he heal from that as well?" He added.

"Almost certainly, though perhaps I would have preferred not: at least I would have an obvious and mild cause for his restlessness instead of a mystery." The physician commented, not showing particular worries but knowing the smallest detail no one noticed could be harmful sometime.

"Should I call back SG1 to inform them? They haven't all leaved yet for that day off..." Landry asked then.

"I don't think we should bother them yet; as I said it is not critical and we haven't found any complication yet, if there is some." Carolyn answered.

Of course she knew they wanted to be informed of any change in Mitchell's condition, they made he swear she would do so, but that wasn't anything that would seriously interest them; at least it was what she wanted to think. The infirmary had to be quiet and with Mal Doran and Jackson's everlasting fights and snappy comments, she didn't want them to hang around for too long as long as their leader wasn't waking up or, she hoped not, getting worst. The general gave her a slight smile just as if he understood her feelings about the visits.

"Fine; you know better than me after all…" Hank let out lightly at his daughter. She smiled back at him friendly but still self-contained since they were still at their serious work.

Now that she was done with her patients and that their conditions were stable, Lam could leave them to the nurses as usual and take care of herself: the general just invited her to lunch with him for their noon halt. The man as well had less work than usual with the momentary shut down of the Gate missions. They both walked out the infirmary. However, some people were watching them carefully, standing in a corner of the corridor that was out of the general and the physician's sight. When those last one left for once, the two hidden ones entered in and walked furtively to Mitchell's bed, taking care to be unnoticed by the nurses working around. After some minutes where they both remained silent, one of them commented with a slight tone of indignation:

"How can they tell he's _agitated_; he isn't even moving!"

"Maybe he was having spasms or something hours ago, how can I know that, Vala, I don't work here."

Daniel sighed. She insisted to come here to see how Cam was doing and she succeeded to drag Jackson with her. Of course Daniel cared about Mitchell, but he also knew that an injured man coming out of surgery could stay motionless and unconscious for hours, even days in some case. And Carolyn had told them Cam was okay so they had less reason to be worried. But he realised he couldn't be angry at her for being that concerned: she was feeling guilty after all.

"You think he will stir if I poke him?" Mal Doran asked kind of seriously wondering, as curious a child in a way. Was it her way to hide her feelings?

" ' don't think so. » Jackson answered, obviously annoyed.

"And if I pinch him…?"

" ' won't work..."

"And talking to him wouldn't be sufficient either…" Vala said as she was thinking out loud.

"Trying won't hurt." Daniel shrugged.

"You're right: it will not work… What if I slap him in the face?" She kept on, ignoring his words.

"No!"

"Push him off the…"

"Vala; I don't think that Dr Lam would approve or Mitchell would enjoy…"

Daniel interrupted abruptly, a little irritated. When he saw the slightly remorseful look on her face, he felt bad and immediately added on a more soft tone:

"And I think he had enough time to forgive you; you shouldn't worry that much… Now you have to let him enough time to fight the Letelk, or at least what that thing left…"

She didn't answer, lost in her thoughts as her sight wandered on Mitchell that was of course still lying motionless on the bed with all the medical equipments around.

* * *

Cam found out he now hated as hell waking up. This time it wasn't light or sound… could have been the headache and the shivering that made his whole body hurt, but that wasn't it and it was worst; his mouth and his throat were so dry that trying to swallow would nearly choke him and bring tears to his eyes. He had to faintly cough and gulp many time before even feeling saliva in his mouth, burning as lava.

"Screw this!"

Cam hissed very hoarsely, shifting painfully and slowly on the mattress the best he could. Yet he couldn't find any comfortable position between those he was able to try with his absolutely stiffed muscles. Perhaps it would be better to only stay still, give up on wanting a cup of coffee, try to get back to sleep and forget it all? To forget?! How ironic: just as he was thinking about that, his memories of the past days at the infirmary came back to his mind and he hated waking up even more. Mitchell grunted and sighed.

But Mitchell quickly realised then that he shouldn't and couldn't be capricious and have to instead focus on the situation. First he had to figure out what the problem really was: was he hallucinating? If yes: what would drive him in a condition where those so realistic visions could be seen and feel? If he wasn't: what was wrong at SGC and how could everybody act so oddly those days? If he was only mixing up reality and hallucinations that could explain some things, but deny some others: how could he tell the difference in that case anyway? What was happening while he was having visions? Did the other knew?...

Yet again he was getting lost in all those questions twirling in his mind, confusing him even more; all those guesses were always wrong at some point of the story, every possibility that seemed stupid was getting possible when he thought about it even more. Eventually, a last question came by and took all his attention suddenly: how could he really know if he was going crazy?... Mitchell tried to drive that thought away, but doubt and dread was creeping over his mind, as quietly but unstoppable as snake venom in a man's blood.

The felt a strange unease to be left alone with a single thought he only wanted to deny, harried to realise he wasn't doing anything useful as he was convincing himself there was no way he could lose his mind. Cameron carefully opened his eyes and waited for his sight to get clear; at least the too bright lights were not just above him this time. Now he had to remain calm whatever was going to happen next, even if he would see ghosts, pink tanks, Carter dressed as Barbie, flying elephant and anything like this; he was Cam Mitchell, leader of a wonderful team that saved so many lives, a great pilot that wasn't scare of any reckless fly stunts, a man of action and tactic… He couldn't just lose his self-control until he found out what was really going on.

The air he was breathing was somewhat cool, even if he seemed to be at the infirmary once again. When Cam focused even more on that subject, the man found out he had something on his face and lifted a hand to touch what it was; an oxygen mask, only that. And that was slightly cheering him up to find at the same time he wasn't fastened this time… now he only had to gather enough willpower to get off that damned bed and start his own little investigation. He gulped few more time and took off that mask, put it on the top of the storage tank just beside the bed and sat up slowly to save his still hurting and stiff muscles. Weird, really really weird: he still had his clothe on, his blue uniform he put on in a hurry, something the medical team never let happen in those situations. Cam didn't know who exactly had the job to undress the unconscious injured people usually, but he had better thing to think about than that anyway.

Choosing to ignore that detail for now, Mitchell got down the bed and stood, waiting for the dark dots to leave his sight and for the floor to stop rolling like he was on the deck of a boat at sea. At least it didn't last too long and he was now able to be steadier and to listen carefully for any sound: if Lam was still around, she would make sure he would get back to his bed… But was there any sense left in that situation to make sure the woman would react in a logical way? After all she was acting strange for sure; as if she was suddenly so cold with him, so disdainful because he _supposedly_ has been violent and mad for days… The others were like this as well and it was kind of intimidating in a way to be treated like that.

Mitchell froze and blinked his wide opened eyes, hoping it wasn't what he thought was happening: something was wrong again and he really didn't like the sound of it… He was nearly feeling fine before, but he realised something so stupid he couldn't believe it: he hadn't breathe in since he stood out of the bed and now he was that ridiculously starving for oxygen. But the situation went from silly to alarming when Cam took a deep breath of air that passed through his airway without any problem, went in his lungs as it should, however then that was getting complicated. Maybe it was his air cells that were stuck; one thing was sure, that puff of oxygen never reached his blood and again he was feeling the too familiar and utterly alarming feeling of suffocation. At the same time the man was as well quite frustrated to be the victim of so many odd and crazy symptoms, taking some more deep breath but never feeling the oxygen to his brain and system. Too dizzy and near passing out to stand, he sat heavily on the side of the bed, agonizing without understanding why, unable to fight it. Again his vision was getting dark and anger flooded him even more at the same time; all that insane situation because of a damned and stupid bloodsucker blue alien!

**To be continued…**

**I hope it wasn't too messed up and/or boring :s**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: sorry if it took me more time than usual writing this part: I had a lot of work and homework to do lately... hope you'll still enjoy (and thanks alot to those commenting :) )**

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The world wouldn't stop twirling and getting dark and again Cam thought he would pass out to die this time. He was vain; he had lost the fight… Yet, hopefully, a thought struck him so suddenly it felt like a reflexes: the oxygen mask! He reach for it with a so shaky hand he couldn't believe it was his. At last Mitchell felt the light plastic of it under his fingers and quickly pulled it toward him to clasp it on his mouth and nose. And when he took a deep breath, oxygen finally flowed freely from his lung to his blood and his brain.

What a relieve; he was gulping down air like a man that nearly drowned, eyelids half closed as if he was utterly enjoying something as simple as breathing. It took the man many seconds before he would remove the mask, his panic now gone… until he tried to breathe without once more: again, the air came in his lung, but he felt like he was choking even more. Mitchell didn't think this time; he immediately put that mask back and realised it was the only way he could really oxygenate himself.

"Tha…that can't be true!" Mitchell stammered to himself with shock as he was trying once again breathing without the mask… in vain.

He looked around with distress, like he was looking for any explanation: a medical chart that could explain to him what was happening to him, or even a hint of a noxious gas leak that could elucidate that uncanny mystery. But the infirmary looked ordinary but for its emptiness and the fact the curtain wasn't set around his bed but around one other further. Mitchell got down the bed and stood up; he was feeling alright, the dizziness was gone, the pain as well, even his muscles were less stiff… but every time he would remove the oxygen mask, he would suffocate with no reason at all. Nothing medical could explain that his intercostals were fine, his diaphragm as well, his body seemed ok, but he wasn't able to take it off and leave without that stupid mask!

Cam stood there, looking around helplessly with a hand on the thing and the other on his hip as if he was expecting something to happen to solve all this, unable to find out if he should break into a nervous and hysterical laughter or into a mad and destructive anger facing a situation that silly and impossible. He couldn't deny the irritation though:

"What the fucking hell is that all about?! This is… so _stupid_; I can't just depend on that big piece of _junk_! I haven't felt better for a week or so and now I would need this?!"

He began to himself, starring in disbelieve and anger at the same time at the storage tank that gave him oxygen to breath. He couldn't just be hooked on that forever, and being hooked on that right now wasn't logical at all! Cameron huffed scornfully after trying again in vain: though that was not only irritating him, but he could feel fear growing in his psyche; fear since he couldn't understand at all what was happening, what was real or not, what was wrong with his mind or his body. Cam felt as if his brain will explode for thinking that fast, for doubting about every memories, vision and feeling he had in the past few days…

Trying to push aside the scary thoughts and trying to stay cool headed and optimist, Mitchell grabbed the storage tank and began to drag it behind him the best he could as he was taking a few steps. The colonel had no balance trouble this time; he felt alright if it wasn't of that damn oxygen mask. Mitchell stopped, unable to go further without unplugging the thing and risking suffocating again, listening carefully and examining the room: it was too quiet, so much it felt as if the entire place was dead, leaving him to be the last man in Cheyenne Mountain. And he had that ridiculous mask clasped on the face… that was too stupid to be true! Cam could call out for someone to allay his concern and get some attention, but he was stunned there, keeping himself alert like there was some kind of enemy around, watching around and listening cautiously.

Maybe if he could find the young agonizing soldier, he could show the General he couldn't possibly be wrong… Though did he really want to be right and to find SG1 was seriously risking their lives currently? Perhaps then he could prove the soldier had fooled him then… but he had no mean to prove he was fooled in any way. All those contradictory thought and feeling, it was sickening! Tiny droplets of sweat slowly appeared on his forehead; he was flooded with a weird wave of heat, fighting hard to not lose control… but to lose it to what?; his feelings were so confused he couldn't tell what would express if he let it out!

And he nearly burst in that nervous mix of emotions when the door suddenly slapped open and let in a physician. Cam jolted and turned in her direction, blinked, and then pinched his nose bridge and shut his eyes tight, trying to get rid of that new insane vision: no, that again couldn't be true! And the physician with her nice white doc scrubs with a pink poodle dog embroidered on the left side was walking his way, a cheerful smile on her lips. She had a pink ribbon in her dark hair; he was stunned and glared at her with wide open eyes, too shocked to think.

"Hellooo there! I see my big boy is getting better…" Adria began, taking a look at her chart, then looked back at Cam: "But what are you doing off your bed; you know you will only get hurt even more. Let me check you a little." Adria scolded softly, reaching him.

Mitchell pulled back when she tried to put her hand on his forehead to check if he was feverous; the man wide eying her and would have gaped his mouth if it wasn't of that mask. It was her, it was Adria, the so powerful Adria… definitively looking so real, but it was more than absolutely impossible!

"Hey, what is wrong with you? You are alright, love?" She asked and she looked surprised at his reaction. How strange to see that Orici face showing feelings!

"Ok, I'm hallucinatin'…" Cam let out to himself, more like he was stating to try to convince himself, still utterly dazed.

"Aww, poor little thing! Come here, my big Mitchy-boy, it was only a bad dream…" She began with a touched tone, motioning toward his and opening her arms like she was trying to hug the handsome man.

"Stay away from me!" Mitchell let out with a more nervous and livid tone he was trying to hide, stepping back and raising his hands to keep her from cuddling him. He dropped the mask, but immediately lowered a hand to catch it back and hold it on his face, stepping back a little bit more.

Seeing how startled the man looked and how suddenly he reacted, the woman stopped right on place and slightly raised her hands as well but to show she wasn't going to touch him or arm him in any way. He licked a dry lip nervously, his eyes still wild and watching carefully the woman.

"What are you doing? It's me!" Adria said confused and showing concern.

"Exactly!" Cam let out maybe a little bit too loud and hysterically first. "Exactly… First the dead captain, now _you_!... what's next, Satan playing racquetball with Anubis?! Hey, that would be hella fun!" He kept on, trying to stay calm but hardly doing so: his tone was clearly irritated and nervous; as well and more angered when he added to convince himself: "It's just not happenin', this can't be happenin' and I'm currently starin' into nothing and imaginin' there's someone before me!"

"Colonel Mitchell, what are you doing up?!" It was Lam; she came in the room, looking quite irritated to find the man out his bed, again.

"Yeah, maybe I'm better back there: I'm really seeing…" Mitchell began in an undertone, back to his dazed look: ok it was freaking him out, but at least the doc was here to help him.

"It's ok, Carolyn; I was with him and I was going to help him to his bed." Adria interrupted the man, speaking to Lam.

"Even if there were twelve nurses with him I would be worrying; this man is so stubborn." Carolyn sighed; putting some what was probably some medicaments on a table, before coming their way.

"W… Wait; you… you can see her!?" Mitchell exclaimed with shock, lowering the mask and glaring at both of her with wide opened eyes.

"Of course." Lam answered, raising an incredulous eyebrow at the man.

Adria burst into a cheery laughter, shook her head as if she heard something quite amusing, childish and silly and head toward the bed hidden by curtains like she had something to take care over there or something. Cam was speechless: he wasn't hallucinating after all, and Lam thought it was normal that their enemy's leader was walking around in the infirmary, looking high and too happy to be true. But Carolyn walked to Cameron, grabbed his by the arm and guided him back toward his bed, the man looking behind him and too shocked to protest until he saw Adria disappear behind the curtain. At this moment, the anger -caused by the fact he hated being confused, lost and feeling like he was fooled- flooded him back and he pushed aside Lam to break free. Perhaps he did so too abruptly, but he didn't care: he took a deep breath in his mask, let in fall to the floor and walked with quick stride toward the hidden bed, holding his breath and frowning.

"Mitchell, _where are you going_?!" Lam asked aloud behind him, quite livid to be brutalised this way.

"Who is she, who's that woman back there?" Mitchell snapped without looking at her and still going for that other bed. He was resolute: he had to find out what the hell was going on with them and nothing will stop him this time.

"It's Doctor Adria, can't you see?! Mitchell, you're going crazy now, get back here!!" Carolyn raised her tone, but looked to be hesitating to follow the man, scared of what he might do in his violent flurry.

"_Doctor Adria_? Right! It's what I wanted to hear! And I'm sure she'll be less tyrannical than you with her patients…" He snickered first and Cam let out then with sarcasm, trying to hide the best he could the fact he was freaking out and pissed off by all this.

At this moment, he reached it and pulled the curtain enough to get his head in and peer in; he immediately spotted the fake physician he wasn't hallucinating after all. But he _had_ to hallucinate; this wasn't making any sense, even more now that Carolyn claimed to see Adria as well…! From where he was, he could only see the Orisi's back about 6 feet away from him; she was standing up and she wasn't moving… plus the bed was empty. The colonel suspiciously glared at her, wondering and hoping the situation wasn't going to get worst. He gulped and gathered his courage, getting in the area hidden by the curtain and walking toward the woman.

As he was stretching an arm to touch her shoulder to make her turn to face him, she clasped suddenly and so swiftly her hand on his wrist, quite almost jolting him. Before he could pull off from this oddly firm and cold hold, she turned to face him and shock him. It wasn't Adria anymore, but again that damned Royer! Once more Cam tried to break free from her hold even harder, but immediately stunned when he met her gaze: her eyes were entirely blue, from the pupil to the sclerotic and of a familiar kind of blue… And the alarm bell rang freaking hard in Cam's mind when he realised it was _Letelk-blue_! She was holding him so firmly he thought she would break his wrist, but that wasn't his main concern now: the ghastly woman was smiling at him and slowly raising her other hand. Mitchell wanted to fight, or at least to strike her down and run away, but he was stunned on place, like his muscles and body wouldn't listen to him. And he was looking in her Letelk eyes with horror, tearing his gaze away when he realised she was morphing the hand she raised into a vicious looking giant claw of those so dreaded blue pebbles! He didn't even let out a cry when pain was shot across his entire arm and immediately blurred his mind and sight as a clear snap could be heard… his radius broke under the titanic pressure, his face went paler than Death. The being that wasn't Royer but a monster smiled even more creepily and cruelly, very slowly pushing down on his wrist to eventually make him kneel under her iron hold.

"Colonel, get out of here and come back! Now!" Carolyn ordered, having no idea of what was going on behind the curtain.

When he heard her voice, Mitchell felt as if the hypnotic-ish power that stunned him went off, he was still wordless by fear, pain and shock but he was thinking just clear enough to be allowed to turn his head toward the curtain and to try to reach it: when Carolyn would see what was happening, she would get some help and fast!

"Fine, you'll get what you've asked for: I'm going to get some help calming you down…" Carolyn said with a clearly irritated tone, before Mitchell could hear her walking away.

The SG1 leader wanted to call her back, but it was too late so he could only face the monster and fight it now. As he set his eyes back on what was a different person not so long ago, he was even more horrified to see Mayka's face at about 10 inches of his like she suddenly appeared right before him and as tall as he was, maybe even more... way too close… but the worst was that she now seemed to have her face all made of those so dreaded blue stones, her eyes and mouth seemed only fine lines on a polished rounded shape, like a statue getting alive and very threatening.

It was like a cold wind was blowing from the figure, but Cam wouldn't have enough time to even ponder on that: the unnamed thing was putting even more pressure on his wrist and was pushing down on it so the man could only genuflect, gasping with the so overwhelming pain that would drain all his strength and will… or maybe it was something else: he realised he could breath at last, however the stiffness came back even greater along with a headache that could knock out an elephant, shivers that would only cause him more suffering and a fierce nausea. Perhaps being close to the monster was doing that to him…?

"I can sense your heart beating… missing several pulses sometime…"

A cold and inhuman hiss seemed to come out of the monster under a human form, sadistic and pleased; at the same time Cameron felt sickening palpitations in his chest, this time he really dropped to his knees, utterly dizzy and unwell.

"The shards from the Letelk… the Cadelan doctor decided it could help to resurrect the captain… Funny how those things could merge into a dead human body and create a better, stronger, faster being…"

The woman hissed awfully. When his foggy mind understood what the thing –could it be called Mayka anymore?- meant by that, Mitchell raised a horrified look at the thing's _face _before trying to fight the hold by pulling and punching the thing… in vain as he was getting even more weak and she would hold him even firmer.

"I am not over with you yet; I am still thirsty…"

The thing hissed, getting even closer to the poor fighting man that seemed hypnotise and sick only at the sight of the Letelk. No, he could let the monster live and kill him that ironically. A thought then came to his mind: once the monster would be done with him, it would then attack everybody in the SGC… and maybe break free on Earth to kill innocent victims! Is the army ready to fight that thing that could now shift shape? Of course not, he thought, and this was enough to start adrenalin flowing in his body, readying for an ultimate fight. He would kill the beast once for all, save everybody from that evil threat!

Clenching his teeth with anger, he let out a muffled growl, using all his strength of both his arms, even the injured one, to get back to his feet and pushing the enemy off. What seemed to be the Letelk shaped as Royer backed off slightly and, taken be surprise, let go his now swollen and bruised wrist when he lashed down on her forearm with his able clenched fist. Still with the fury taking over his mind, the fury of seeing that thing back to mistreat him and the ones he cared about, Mitchell attacked the other before it could defend itself, grabbing the human shaped monster by the throat in an attempt to strangle it. Perhaps he could barely move one arm and he was feeling so feverous it was dizzying, but pure anger would blind him to physical pains: he only had in mind to get rid of the thing, to kill it at last. It showed on his face on that very moment: the cold face of a murderous man; and he was nearly pleased to see the frightened look on the vaguely human face of various blue pebbles close to his.

"Oh my God! Get off her!!"

As he could feel the enemy was becoming sluggish in his choke hold, the curtain suddenly opened up, letting a panicked Lam exclaim and see the scene that was happening right before her eyes. Cam turned the head instinctively to see her rushing his way and grabbing his by the shoulder now trying to make him loosen his grip by pulling on him fiercely. He broke free from her hold –because even if he was a strong grown up man, she was quite pulling on his arm- and got his attention back to the monster he wanted to really kill… only to find out it wasn't Mayka with a Letelk face in doctor scrubs, but an innocent nurse he was attacking without any reason!

Horrified, eyes wide opened, he let her go and recoiled as much as if he had burned his hands on a oven, looking at the poor woman dropping to her knees, clasping her hands at her throat and gasping for air. Lam immediately brushed past him so quickly she nearly shoved him in the curtain pole: Mitchell almost stumbled as he was stunned with shock and terror, blinking at Carolyn now taking care of the poor young nurse. Cam couldn't believe it, couldn't believe he did that: he would have killed a woman thinking it is a Letelk coming back to get him! Speechless with shock and horror, he slowly moved his able hand to secure the hurting injured wrist, backing up and utterly terrified of what he could have done if Lam didn't come back in time… he nearly _murdered_, he was going dangerously crazy! That couldn't be true!

He took another step back but his back met a muscular torso: he turned around to find out who was standing behind him and came into Teal'c staring at him with a really intimidating look on his face. Before Mitchell could stammer an excuse or an apologize for nearly choking to death an innocent woman, he saw the big man holding out a Zat… the last thing he heard was the familiar sound of the weapon as a bolt of light came his way and shocked him… Cameron dropped to the floor, his eyes rolled up and going into a wild unusual convulsion, passing out quickly but not enough since every single muscles hurted as hell until he really fainted.

**To be continued...**

**Hahaha: spooky! XD**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: again sorry for how long it took this time... and remember to pay attention to the horizontal lines ;)**

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Vala and Daniel were at Mitchell's side for about 15 minutes now, still without being noticed by anyone. It must be said that Mal Doran was quite skilful when it was about being sneaky and stealth and at the moment both SG1 members were silent. Of course she chatted a lot in the past minutes, but now she had nothing else to say and Daniel wasn't feeling like merrily discussing about light subjects in the intensive care med bay. Jackson was right: even if they could see him a little bit longer, it didn't mean it was going to be more significant and the Lt. col. Was still unconscious, on the ventilator and unmoving.

"Daniel, can I ask you a question?" Vala whispered suddenly: maybe she couldn't stand the sight of Cameron this way anymore and needed to talk or do anything…

"Except the one you just asked?" Jackson sighted in a dull tone.

"Of course."

"M'okay, go ahead." The man said while rubbing his eyes.

"If I ask you again about pinching him, poking him with a pen or pushing him off the bed, would you _instantly_ decline again?" Vala said.

"That was two questions in one…" Jackson commented, frowning a little.

"I know, but you still can answer to both." Mal Doran replied with a happy-go-lucky tone.

"We already discussed about it: annoying Mitchell won't change anything. Maybe we should go before _they_ check on their patient; we're not supposed to be here." Jackson told her, as he was getting a little exasperate as usual when he was with her.

"What will they do if they find us here anyway?" Vala blurted out carelessly.

"Carolyn will kill us, or she will just report to Landry and _he_ will be the one killing us for harming the team leader." Jackson answered with his dull tone but not too seriously, even if he knew his boss could sometime be scary when he gets angry.

"Really?"

"No but that would be close to that…"

"How close?"

"You already know, Vala…" He sighed

"And what could possibly go wrong if I tease him in his sleep?" Vala asked, not ready to let go yet.

"_Anything_! ... maybe…" Daniel tried to look convincing. But when he saw her truly sceptical look, he quickly added: "Or at least he's risking more if you push him off than if we simply let him be…"

"I was not going to push him off; I was just asking! And what makes you think I can be more harmful than Mitchell could be?" Vala replied stubbornly.

"First: you already shot him… Then what do you expect him to do to injure himself if he is in coma?" Daniel stated.

But the man was known to have a very bad timing: as they were talking, they didn't notice the pikes on the monitors as Cam's heart and vital functions accelerated and the slight spasms that were quickly taking over him: Vala and Jackson jolted when they heard a loud crash just before them. When they look out to find what the hell happened, they realised that Cameron had just lashed out one of his arms in his now restless sleep, striking soundly one of the machine next to him… and he was now getting quite hectic. The poor colonel was convulsing in a scary way, fear and anxiousness on his face even if he was still unconscious. Shocked by this, Vala and Daniel however immediately grabbed him by the shoulder to keep him the best he could flat on the mattress.

"Mitchell… Can you hear me? You have to calm down; you're safe, you don't have to fight us! Cameron?" Vala tried to calm him, with a lot of concern in her voice.

"It's what they were talking about when they said he was agitated!" Jackson realised aloud.

"Well how do we make it stop?!" Vala asked, anxious and nearly pleadingly. She was helpless and even more when it was about medical inconveniences.

"I don't know, we should call Carolyn!" Daniel said, helpless as well. Yet they couldn't let the man go to get Lam: Mitchell would probably hurt himself even more or deteriorate when they would be gone.

There were alarms coming from the monitors, telling the unconscious man was too feverous and fitful for his condition –blood pressure, heart rate and etc. But Cam wouldn't wake up or calm down and seemed in even greater distress, fighting with the little strength he still had, especially to free the arm he lashed out and knocked onto the machine and that was now held firmly by Mal Doran. Jackson and she could obviously see the SG1 leader was getting damp and pale, one of his forearms was faintly shivering and there were now lines of pain on his face… and the wrist of it was lightly swelling and bruising.

"I think he really injured himself after all…" Daniel commented with surprise, frowning but still trying to keep Mitchell for worsening all.

"What?! What do you mean?" Vala began, not having noticed: she was scared enough just by seeing the man convulsing on the bed like an addicted junky that would miss his pills… She was even wishing not having seen this at all.

But at this moment, the physician Lam accompanied by many nurses came in the room in hurry to rush to Cam at the very moment they saw how uptight and feverous he was. The nurses went to both side of the bed to help the two SG1 members to hold the delirious man as Carolyn took her patient's vitals without taking care of Vala and Daniel.

"His temperature is rising high; I need something to cool him down right away!"

Lam began to order and a nurse immediately leaved to get her want she needed. But at the moment, she turned her head and remembered Vala and Jackson were just beside her, still helping to stabilise Mitchell. She lowered her gaze on their hands holding the colonel and realised Cameron's wrist didn't look too good so she took Mal Doran's hand off him and exclaimed indignantly and with surprise at the same time:

"What you two are still doing here?!... No, I don't want to know: _what happened here_?!"

"I don't know: we were talking…" Began Daniel.

"We didn't even touch him, perhaps I planned to but I swear we did nothing!" Vala interrupted with panic. Lam gave her a quite disapproving look.

"And he suddenly began to convulse and tried to fight I don't know what." Daniel kept on, ignoring Val's interruption. At least the unconscious man was slowly calming down: they could feel it since he was shaking and struggling way more faintly, like he was giving up.

"He has a great fever, maybe it caused that…"

Carolyn commented seriously, but somehow she didn't seem entirely convinced by the explanation of a so odd reaction from the man. After all, even if he had gotten some kind of infection, the first symptoms were too violent. Mitchell was still on the ventilator, now shivering instead of convulsing, but quite damp and pale with dark circle under his eyes. Yet his temperature was still high and when the nurse brought what she asked to cool down the man, she had to use it even if she knew Cam would feel even colder.

However, as they were setting that up, the monitor rang the alarm bell: the man's heart was palpitating wildly. Alarmed, the physician was going to order the right injection to keep him from doing a heart attack when his heart beat stabilised suddenly and with no reason at all. A little taken aback by this unexpectedness, she ordered one of the specialised nurses to take some blood test to check if there could be anything that blocked his blood vessels or, worst, a major brain artery… this last thing could explain the convulsions… Or perhaps something poisoned him and triggered all this…?

Again the colonel, even unconscious, would not stop surprising them: all of a sudden, as he looked quite calmed and the nurses were slightly releasing their hold on him, he jolted and nearly sat up entirely, grabbing firmly the forearms he could reach and pulling on those wildly. He was breathing heavily and looked totally infuriated for no reason at all: he was delirious; Vala and a nurse let out a surprised and pain exclamation, both being grabbed in a iron grip that could twist their arm painfully. Alarmed, the other nurses, Lam and Daniel immediately tried to push Mitchell back on the mattress and to free the two women he could injure without being aware of it.

Cam let go all by himself, the madness quickly disappearing from his face, and felt back on his bed, sluggish. The med team, Vala and Daniel were relieved, yet it didn't last long: again, Cam broke into spasms and a quite epileptic-looking seizure so they all had to grab him back to hold him. Carolyn quickly tried to stabilise his quite probably broken wrist and bind it the best she could with a bandage she took from the medical kit they brought. She would take a closer look at it later: it wasn't her main concern right now… With a nearly irritated tone, Lam turned toward one of the nurses and asked him to get her a sedative and a pain killer: even if they didn't know what could Mitchell possibly had, they couldn't let him hurting himself even more. Vala and Daniel glared at each other with concern, still holding their hectic leader but not saying a word.

The male nurse brought back the needle filled with the medicines she asked for and handed it out; Lam took it to inject the liquid in Cameron's IV line. It took several long minutes before the thing would finally calm the colonel and send him back to a quiet sleep. They nearly all sighed with relieve and the physician let the nurses check the monitors and the line to make sure Mitchell didn't disconnect anything; Carolyn then turned toward Vala and Daniel, a severe look on her face:

"Now I will ask you to leave immediately…"

"But Mitchell need…!" Vala tried to interrupt, quite worried.

"We will take care of him; now let us do our work." Lam didn't let Mal Doran end her protests, a little irritated that Val and Jackson disobeyed after all.

"But…!" Vala tried again, interrupting herself when Daniel grabbed her by the shoulder and dragged her toward the exit.

"We'll come back later…" Jackson told her sheepishly: he could clearly see the physician wasn't quite happy and was even generous to only let them go instead of reporting their defiance or reprimand them.

"And no cheating this time!" Lam let out severely as the two SG1 members exited the room. Once they were out of her sight, she sighed and turned back toward her patient.

* * *

He definitively _hated_ waking up now: the first time he felt was pain in all his body and the alarming weakness and numbness in all his muscles. Cam could swear he fused with what he was laying on, whatever it was, and that he could never move from this position anymore. Odd fact: it was harder than the usual infirmary bed mattress and quickly a deep humming sound passed through the fog in his mind and intrigued him. Still he would have prefer to stay asleep, soon remembering all the freaky things that just happened to him and that he couldn't explain in any way. Then, as if it wasn't enough yet, nausea slowly took over him and Mitchell felt immediately quite uncomfortable lying like this: he shot his eyes open. 

The man gulped, close his eyelids tightly, waited a bit and opened it back: it was dark, so dark he thought he went blind and he surely didn't like the thought. Trying to remain cool-headed even if that discovery was far from being pleasing, Mitchell lifted the arm that wasn't hurting –he was sure he had the other wrist broken… was it the creature that turned out to be only an hallucination that harmed him or could a simple nurse be strong enough to break bones?...

However, the back of his hand met a cold, smooth and enamelled surface, keeping him from reaching and rubbing his eyes. Cam frowned and began to touch this hard surface, trying to find out what it was… but he realised it was all above him and on his sides, like he was in some sort of tube-shaped coffin!

A shiver went down his spine as panic nearly overtook him and he had to close back his eyes and take some deep breaths to remain calm… or more to make sure he wouldn't just fight and rage uselessly like a mad man. And of course when we say deep breaths, it was more like panicked shallow ones he tried really hard to take more slowly. But the more he was inwardly fighting, the more he felt nauseous and dizzy, so much he thought he would throw up if he wasn't getting out of that kind of humming tube. He even couldn't kick the surface with his feet to try to open it or anything: it was like his ankles were fastened down.

"Hey!... Hey can anybody hear me?!" Cameron said out loud with a furious tone, -furious to be held in that stuffy tube-shaped thing, getting nervous because of how unwell he was feeling- drumming on the rounded surface over him with his able clenched fist. He could hear the loud echoing of his knocking as was sure that if anyone was around the tube thing, they would take notice of the noise as well.

* * *

"Wh… Again?! But I gave him sedative!... Get the blood test to the lab and fast; we have to find out what is driving him this way!"

* * *

Cameron stunned: he heard a voice really close to him, but distorted and just as if the person talking was by his side, not the other side of the kind of metallic tube. He looked around, but there was nothing but darkness. He touched the surface above him again, tried to find any opening but there was nothing but the smooth tube-like dome above him. He let his arm fall back on the hard thin mattress he was on, still looking wildly but blindly before him, unable to think of a way to get out of that thing when he had all his mind set on the thought: he was hearing voices… was-he really crazy after all? 

Suddenly, it was like a little bit of light came back and the kind of mattress he was on began to move, removing him from the tube feet first. And it immediately came to his mind… along with new questionings: that thing he was in, it was the SGC's MRI scanner… but what was wrong about it was the fact the kind of tube he was in the moment before he began to come off it was way too deep, small and dark to be a regular machine. Cam remembered the last time he went into that kind of giant magnet and it wasn't that oppressing; the scanner was supposed to cover him about up to the hips so his legs would be exposed… now even after the kind of tray he was lying on backed up slowly for some seconds, his head wasn't even out of the scanner yet, meaning the thing was way longer than it should be.

When finally he emerged entirely from the thing, Cameron immediately tried to sit up and get down the flat tray he was lying on… only to realized he had not only the ankles tied down on it, but the arms as well and on his side. The colonel blinked and gazed at both of his forearms when he found out that: wasn't he able to knock on the inside of the scanner with one of his fist? Why on Earth would he _now_ be restrained like this?! Mitchell tested the straps but flinched and nearly passed out from the sudden pain shooting all along his arm and straight to the brain when he tried to move his injured wrist. He bitted his lips to not cry out and shut his eyes tight, feeling his unable forearm slightly and uncontrollably shivering and his mind was getting addled… Pain, nausea, dizziness… all that was very overwhelming for the poor pilot.

"I fear that it is worst than what we thought…"

Mitchell opened back his eyes when he heard to sorry tone a familiar voice used to say those words, barely reaching him like it was coming from another room. He lifted his head and looked around: he was in the MRI room, like he thought, but in a little bit more cold than what he remembered seeing when he visited it once, even creepy looking maybe.

"The wounds caused by the thing you call Letelk are healed, but for the head injuries…"

The woman voice kept on explaining sullenly and at this moment Cameron found out who was talking: behind a kind of observation bay, Carolyn Lam was briefing General Landry and SG1. To see his friends, at last and forgetting the fact it was Teal'c that zated him painfully, Mitchell felt slightly relieved. He tried to shake his restraints without being too violent or hurting his wrist to catch their attention first since they haven't noticed him yet.

"The concussion turned out to be real and severe brain damages."

Carolyn added and Mitchell stunned with shock and dread; brain damages?! He didn't like the way it sounded and he knew they were talking about him. He, of course stopped, fighting the links to listen carefully at what the others were saying.

"How bad it is?" Samantha asked with concern.

"Bad enough to distort considerably his perceptions, senses and his personality. He may probably be unable to tell what is right from what is wrong or dangerous: we cannot count on his judgment anymore." Lam answered.

That was it, that was why when he looked back at the scanner it looked absolutely normal, that was why he was seeing all those creepy scenes and creatures… Brain damages… Cam couldn't be more shocked and displeased by that dreadful news; even if it was the more logical one and that it was what the physician he trusted was saying.

"So that mean he won't come back to take the lead of SG1 yet?" Hank tried. Cam could clearly distinguish the disappointed tone the man had when he was speaking.

"The damages are permanent; I don't think he will be able to work anymore: he can be very violent and not even be aware of it, he will never believe what he sees or hear isn't real even if we tell him so and he could compromise the missions or risk your lives… We still can find a way to take care of him, but there is no cure for his condition."

Lam's words were deeply hurting Mitchell, more than if she had came in the room and kick him in the ribcage. It was worst than the time the physicians told him he wouldn't be able to walk anymore after his accident in Antarctica: at least he could fight and work to be able to stand and walk like nothing happened… But when it was about the brain and when it was causing such hallucination and driving him mad enough to nearly murder an innocent nurse, there was no way to fight that; _no cure_ as Lam said.

Yet something came to his mind: it seemed too… _horrible_, exactly the kind of thing that would take the man's pride and life down. It seemed false and hollow in a way. Maybe he was too stubborn to accept his life with his team was over, that he would spend the rest of it treated like a mentally ill man; but Mitchell came to think there was something wrong and it wasn't his own mind: what if he was being fooled by the Letelk thing? Why not: maybe the thing can do more than only shift shape… Or at least it was easier to accept and to fight: he had to break free from those illusions the thing was creating simply to break him. Yes because everything he saw -his team being killed, his enemies back to life and indestructible, his mind and body ruined, himself injuring innocent people- was very likely to his worst fears…

He shut tight his eyes, trying to think and to ignore the conversation still going on in the observation room, convincing himself it was not true at all. And the nausea wasn't helping him either to keep track of it anyway. He had to concentrate on a way to defeat his enemy. However the moment he closed his eyelid, he felt again transported somewhere else and far from the infirmary, back in that village where he saw the team getting killed without being able to react, back in that fight where the Ori where outnumbering his friends…

**To be continued**

**and don't you worry: i'll never get Cam truly fired XD**


	7. Chapter 7

He seemed to be half lying on the hard ground, his back leaning on a kind of medieval fashioned wooden cart and the air seeming so cold and gloomy. There was no civilian, no one in the old streets, only the Ori's shots crashing on a kind of old and mossy statue set on a large pedestal. And Cam could feel it: white-hot pain shooting through his torso, one of his legs, one shoulder… he could not list all the body parts that felt as if they were burning to the bone. Every breathe he was taking would nearly send him out cold, even the most shallow ones, and he felt as if he didn't have enough strength to even groan with agony and despair; he had been shot, he had been mortally injured, he could not make it out of the planet alive. It was a trap and he was shot while he tried to help the villagers to take cover, they ended up killed and now he was going to die as well, far from the one he loved, forgotten somewhere where he is only a vile foe that do not accept the teaching of the Origin…

And his team! His team and his friends… He failed them: his blurred and fading sight found them: they were hiding behind that only statue, under heavy fire with no way to get out of that situation. By the commotion he could hear coming from another street, SG1 was going to be surrounded by the enemies and caught off in their back. In his fear and confusion, Mitchell wanted to reach for his gun, but even if it was on his lap, his hands laid limply on the paved street at his side. He could not even wipe the blood dripping from his mouth; he could not get rid on the scent of burnt flesh from the blaster wounds; he was often forgetting to breathe in...

Daniel was out: he could feel it even if Teal'c was carrying him, full of hope… or maybe desperate. The Jaffa seemed to be telling something to the two women remaining, as if he was shouting something at them but again Cam was too close to Death to hear anything but a low growling of the gunshots. The colonel hiccupped very weakly and uncontrollably once or twice as if it was a vain attempt to cough out the blood pouring inside him from the large staff-wound; he nearly died right on place so much it hurt and his eyes rolled upward in his head for a few seconds. When he could regain the very little strength he had left, his glassy gaze went on the puddle of blood forming in the dirt around him. It was like crimson royal velvet, like a cloak falling on the floor at his feet… it could have been beautiful his addled mind thought. His faint breathe halted a little longer this time.

There was sound of running feet coming from behind him now and a large group of Ori soldiers passed by him: they noticed him, but didn't even think it was necessary to try anything against the dying man. And before Cam could understand what this meant, the enemies were already shooting on SG1 that were not expecting the attack from behind at all. His friends. Mitchell closed his eyelids tightly, unable to even clench his teeth or swallow bitterly, too numb and agonizing to react: but he knew he couldn't watch the scene this time. It was his fault: if he wasn't dying uselessly on the side of the town center this way, he could have warned them, use his last strength to tell him the enemies were coming from behind their cover…

Samantha. Daniel. Teal'c… and Vala. Cam could not hear their gun working anymore, the soldiers stopped shooting as well: the fight was over and he knew it wasn't because they just have been beamed out of danger with a really good timing. A tear could have drop from the colonel's eyes if they were not that dry and tired to do so.

He lifted one eyelid as to acknowledge his friend one last time before dying: the soldiers were already and so silently gone: how long had he kept his eyes shut? And on the paved and straw covered street he could see another cloak of crimson velvet blood, on what laid the still form of his team-mates. He was barely seeing anymore, he felt so cold he couldn't even shiver, but what was left of his being was crushed by the sight. So that was it: he was agonising in the village for the beginning, that alternate reality story and the Letelk madness was just the hallucinations of an oxygen starved and failing brain. And as he was randomly running in the SGC corridors in his mind, his friends were getting killed.

Again he closed his eyes, ready to die, bitterly _wanting _to die because he deserved nothing more from this blatant failure. The pain was nearly gone, he only felt way too cold. But a rustle close to him drew his attention then…

"Cameron!"

A voice called him so pleadingly he shot his eyes open the faster he could –but still quite slowly and half opened- and he tried to focus on the distorted and blurred shape he could barely see.

"Cameron! Dare facing me!"

The voice was not as pleading anymore: it nearly hissed and the colonel could distinguish that it was coming from a vague shape crawling toward him and leaving a trail of red blood behind it. Confused and unable to think clearly at all now that he could not feel his own body, he realised the one crawling was Mal Doran. He tried to slur her name, but only a raucous gasp hardly escaped his dry mouth. She was now close enough for him to see her face… and at this moment he began to look at her with frightened wild eyes: there was a bloody hole right in the middle of her forehead, so deep through her head it seemed black. And her iris and pupils were faded like they use to on dead bodies. So was so close, smiling creepily and Mitchell knew it wasn't her, it was worst than a nightmare!

"Cameron, look at what you did to me! Look at what you've done to your own_ friends_!"

Vala said between her clenched teeth, so maniacally Cam only wanted to back off… But right now he was unable to even move his head laid back, the faint agony hiccups would only drag more blood to his mouth and his bluish lips, and his chest was not breathing in or out anymore. Only his wild but glassier eyes were moving frantically. So the nightmare figure too much like the woman he knew once reached her blood-covered hands in a heartbreaking pleading look, setting her hands on his cheek each side of his head to force him to look in her white eyes. Everything was getting darker but Mal Doran forcing him to face her ghastly smiling face. Mitchell wanted to scream, to deny this vision of pure horror to see a friend dead and blaming him, yet only his lips moved weakly, forming the words "No… no…"

"Yes you did… Yes you did Cameron. And you cannot escape it; you caused our death and because of this no one will protect Earth from the Ori… You doomed us all!"

Her voice was now terribly full of anguish and so much despair it looked pure madness; her whispering was deafening him, the way her voice fainted at the end on the so dreadful truth was like a stab to the man's weakly pulsing heart. This time the lt. colonel was even able to move his lips, his eyes close to be rolling upward once for all as Death was taking over him.

"You murdered us all! …"

Vala kept on, tears of sorrow and anger in her dead eyes. She drew back slowly on her hands and knees to look at the agonizing man half leaning on the cold hard street, his wild unfocussed eyes trying to avoid her creepy face as he was going to pass out once for all soon.

"You murdered every one of us…"

She growled. Then suddenly, like a mad predator attacking its prey, the dead woman jump on the man and circle his exposed throat with her hands, pressing on to choke him. Mitchell immediately felt the fear and the distress and she was pressing even more and remembering him he had to breathe, but again he was too weak and wounded to even try to fight. He shivered uncontrollably; horrified by her absolutely mad and psycho wince before everything became dark. The man slump and his head drop to his chest, emptying his lungs in a last breathe out.

* * *

The very moment Carolyn turned away from the door to get back to work; her eyes immediately went on Mitchell still form, with a hint of apprehension: she thought she heard him stir. She walked to his bed and went beside a nurse still working, hoping he wouldn't start convulsing again and checking his vitals one more time as if she could find something new. Yet things never go how they are supposed to: even with all the sedative they gave him to calm the colonel down, he was now trying to lash out his able arm into a clenched fist. He nearly stroke a man from the med team and for a short moment, all the people working around his bed slightly backed off in surprise because reaching back for the man to pin him still on the mattress.

"Wh… Again?! But I gave him sedative!... Get the blood test to the lab and fast; we have to find out what is driving him this way!"

Lam let out with a mix of an offended and alarmed tone, rushing to the unconscious man's side and checking the monitors. The nurse with the blood test immediately leaved as the others were again trying to stop the feverously fighting colonel. And this time the man was even trying to kick them out, no great fear on his face but more like annoyance and anger… The med team didn't notice the two persons suddenly popping their head by the doorway to watch with concern: Vala and Daniel didn't go too far even if Lam ordered them to do so. They heard the commotion starting back again and came right away, helpless and really worried.

Yet Mitchell flinched and even shivered when he probably moved too abruptly his injured wrist, stopping that unexpectedly to struggle as he had now lines of pain on his face. Carolyn examined him again and realised he unplugged the IV line and could have hurt himself badly with the tube in his throat as well with all this struggling. Though he didn't even look like he was trying to breathe without, like he well able to fight as hell but was too weak to do something that simple than breathe in. Maybe he had his brain stem somehow damaged: this part of the brain controls, among others, those kinds of vital functions after all. But how: he was struck behind the head, yes, but not at the exact location, a little higher than the brain stem… And when he was struggling, he was still in coma and not apoplectic, like tossing in his sleep but on a terrific scale: she could see it on the encephalogram, knowing what the readings meant even if she was not specialised in brain function in full details.

As she looked at the screen again, the readings got even wilder… then the others monitors began to ring with their alarms: without further reasons, Mitchell was going into a critical state: the heart rate was getting quicker but the pulse weaker. Immediately, Jackson and Mal Doran came in the room, unable to stay that far when their friend and leader was struggling against something they didn't even know and mysterious symptoms threatening his life. They could only watch helplessly as the medics and the physician were trying to stabilise him in any way.

"What can we do?!" Vala whispered to Daniel, obviously really concerned and powerless.

"We can't do anything; it's all up to Lam and Mitchell now…" Jackson seemed as well quite disturbed by that.

"I don't understand what can possibly drive him this way." Vala kept on, desperate.

"I'm sure it's about the Letelk thing…" Daniel said gloomily.

"But it has been removed! It is not in him anymore, not even close to him! And he didn't keep the blue thing with him for more than a day."

"Yet Mitchell had been healed many times by the creature itself before…"

Daniel said; seeming lost in his thoughts. But he suddenly looked more surprised as he realised something and exclaimed quietly:

"Quite many times now that I think about it: the creature was always using its power on him…"

Then something stroke him, even more when he caught the sight of the colonel back at the weak convulsing, obviously in critical state even with no injury remaining: it seemed familiar, not a situation that happened to the colonel before, but to him…

"The Goa'uld light-projecting device on P4X-347! The sarcophagus! It's the same thing than the too frequent exposure to the pebbles!" Jackson suddenly exclaimed with shock.

"What?! What do you mean by that?!" Vala asked, puzzled in front of Daniel sudden attitude.

But before Daniel could elaborate his idea and expose it to Mal Doran, they could hear the distinct sound of the monitor going flat: obviously heart failure! Startled, both SG1 members rushed to Mitchell's side, not taking care anymore of the fact they could annoy the medics: Vala was calling his name and Lam was giving orders to reanimate the poor man. Daniel stared with shock and panic when they began using the paddles.

"Carolyn, Carolyn; we need to get him in contact with the spike you removed! Where is it?" He exclaimed suddenly, drawing her attention and urging her.

Lam was already shocking Mitchell a second time while the nurses were helping, turning her attention away from the man to take a quick surprised look as she realized the two were back and as she heard what Daniel said. But Cam's heart stopped beating again and the alarms started again. The physician took her attention back on her patient, giving orders to the staff and readying the paddles for another shocking to start the heart back. A nurse tried to drive Vala and Daniel out of their way, but they would not move as Lam send the electricity to Cam's chest and turned to them when the heart seemed to pulse again:

"The spike?! Why do you want it?!" Carolyn raised her surprised tone since there was so much noise around them.

"Mitchell will die if we don't get a hand on it soon!" Jackson answered, urging her.

"I don't have it: they already are sending it away from the base!" The physician said, a little confused and shocked by his words.

"What?! But…" Daniel stammered with shock and dread.

"In your office! Daniel it may work!" Vala suddenly exclaimed, having an idea.

Without any explanation, she pulled on Jackson sleeved and quickly ran out of the infirmary, dragging Daniel behind her; letting the medics to their reanimation job and Lam to her confusion. As he was following her in the corridors, trying to avoid running literally into the staff, Daniel finally understood what she had in mind and accelerated even more. They had to make it in time: they knew the med team would not be able to keep Mitchell alive forever by shocking him with the paddles.

He nearly tripped when he suddenly stopped and turned to enter his office: the door was open and the lights on since he was working in it before Vala came and dragged him to the infirmary. Without hesitation, he and Mal Doran began to frenetically search the room for some item somewhere in this room filled with artifact, books and paper sheets.

"Vala, where did you put the stone?!" Jackson let out nervously as he was kneeling to look under his desk.

"You snapped it out of my hands before I could set it somewhere!" Protested the woman, still searching the room the quicker she could.

"It has to be somewhere!" The man complained as he was trying to look under another furniture.

"You hided it so I could not find it, didn't you? And now _you_ can't find it?" Vala let out: she was clearly blaming him.

But at this moment, with the anxiousness and the hurriedness, she accidentally pushed off a shelf a rare and authentic artifact that, to Daniel's opinion, could prove the Goa'uld went in medieval India as well and maybe settled another Stargate, sending it breaking into pieces on the floor. At the particular sound of breaking pottery, the doctor froze himself and turned toward the woman sheepishly staring at the pieces with wide opened eyes. And then, when he lowered his eyes on the broken object, he saw the small box he putted under this shelf to hide the Letelk stone. Daniel must have hurried to it so quickly he nearly knocked his head hard on the shelf, but he was not taking care of that detail and he immediately rushed out his office, followed by Vala.

Again they ran as fast as they can in the corridors and without crashing into the other SGC staff. Just as they were sprinting to catch the elevator before it would close, they nearly ran into Carter. Startled, she looked at them with confusion for about a second, and then regained her composure to ask them loud enough as they were already distancing her:

"Hey! What's the matter?!"

"Mitchell's in danger, we don't have time!" Vala answered the best she could as she was still running, her tone clearly concerned and alarmed.

"What?!" Carter exclaimed, shocked again.

But the two had already disappeared in the elevator and the doors were shutting. Again Sam stayed stunned and bewildered a second or two before rushing to the elevator as well and calling another one to get to Cam, seriously worried.

When Daniel and Vala finally reached the infirmary, Cam's heart had failed again and the medics were trying to revive him for maybe the third time. Without wasting any seconds, Jackson rushed to the bed while opening the small box and taking out the Letelk pebble. Mal Doran pushed away a nurse in their way to let Jackson get to the bedside and at last, he putted the blue rounded alien rock right on Mitchell's bare chest before he would be given another shock.

It was a complete astonishment as the med team and Lam stared with surprise at the small object the two people from SG1 just set on the patient in critical state and interrupted their important work. The suddenly, the alarms coming from the monitors stopped and they all turned their head toward it at the same time: everything was back to normal that quickly –except the too high body temperature of course but it was decreasing fast. The stone wasn't enough to heal his wrist, but it sure saved Mitchell's life somewhat…

"How can that be possible?!" Lam asked Daniel and Vala with bewilderment, now facing them as the nurses were checking the unconscious man.

"Um, we figured out it was a kind of addiction…" Jackson began, trying to catch back his breathe from the wicked race he just made.

"Addicted to the bloodthirsty blue monster…" Vala commented; her eyes set on Cam still showing concern.

"So it was all withdrawal symptoms?!" Carolyn asked, astonished by the new.

"I fear so…"

Jackson answered, now setting his gaze as well on his unconscious friend. They all stayed silent as they pondered on what could have happened if they haven't figured out in time… Still it wasn't over yet with their leader.

* * *

**To be continued ('cause it ain't over yet evil grin )**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N :** I forgot to mention for those who don't know all the episodes : the sarcophagus reference comes from episode 5 from season 2 : Daniel Jackson became addicted to the use of that healing Goa'uld device. The other thing is as well a Goa'uld device from season 4, episode 18, also addictive but this time for the whole team or so.

Now enjoy and pay attention to the horizontal lines once again (to make sure it isn't too confusing after all), this chapter is fast (but not short) and funny for everyone but Cam himself :P

**----------------------**

Cameron's eyes shot open and he sat up quicker than his mind started to think well; already clutching his hands to his throat as a gigantic wave of anxiety struck him at the moment he waked up. It took a few seconds to realise he was still alive and that the pressure he thought he felt on his throat had left, yet it took more time before his sight was clear enough to allow him to distinguish some lights and colors. Or probably not colors: it was pure white everywhere he set his eyes, so much it nearly hurt. White light, ok, but that couldn't be heaven since he still had this slight nauseous and dizzy feeling plus that numbing pound in one of his wrist at every heart beat: he wasn't in Heaven, not yet. But again, where was the village, where was SGC, where were his team-mates?

Mitchell gulped and licked his lips nervously, scanning around him: first he was in another kind of bed, quite similar, but without any medical equipment around. Then his uniform he has been wearing every time he would wake up was replaced by a white t-shirt and plain white pants, like scrubs but in softer as if it was meant to be wore for a while. He was bare foot and had something tied up on one of his wrist: Cam slightly squinted pass the fog in his mind to try to make sense of it… and had a shock when he found out: it was the kind of thin paper bracelet they give to the hospital patients and some _other_ kind of patient.

The man hastily took a closer look to the room he was in: it was padded, the walls were padded in white, and a heavy door also padded being the only way out…

"Ok, ok, right…" He began aloud and speaking to himself as if it could help him processing the information his mind just received.

"Now that is really nice from them!"

Mitchell then exclaimed sardonically with an offended tone, realising what this place meant: he was in a mental institute, in an asylum as a patient. He jumped out of bed and regretted it a few seconds when he thought he saw the world swaying around him… or was he the one so unsteady? But he had no time for this right now: they settled him in there as he was still sane and that pissed him off a lot… or maybe he deserved being in there: memories from the past awakenings came back to his mind and he didn't know what to think of that all.

"This thing is goin' completely _off_ the rail…"

He whispered to himself, rubbing his eyes nervously and scanning the room once more, hoping it would disappear and he would find out he was still at the infirmary, only under heavy medications. But it was vain; he was still standing up in that small room. Nervously, he snickered a little, until the sound of his own voice seemed so weird and wrong he choked this not even half-hearted chuckle to listen at the tense silence.

He nearly jumped in the air when there was suddenly a loud buzz behind him and, as he was turning to face the wall where the heavy padded door was – the poor man still on a abrupt adrenalin rush-, it opened. He was first surprised to see two tall men he never met before dressed in the mental instate staff coming in, but even more when Dr. Lam and General Landry followed. Though Mitchell was too on nerves and irritated by all those impossible events plus the fact he was put in a padded room at the asylum that he didn't salute the general and immediately asked him:

"What happened?! And how the hell did I end up here?!"

The colonel's tone was clearly tense and livid, yet in his mind he was deeply freaked out. He straightened up, trying to look in control the more he could, even if it was hard when he was out of uniform and in a kind of cheap pyjama. However, Landry didn't even seem offended by the lack of politeness, as if Mitchell was a simple overreacting _civilian_. The old man sighed and turned expectantly toward his daughter.

"You… well to be honest you went berserk in the corridors and sent two man and a nurse to the infirmary. You were moved in the psychiatric department because the too extensive and close contact with the foreign substance drove you schizophrenic." Carolyn explained as if she was a stereotypical annoyed nurse or receptionist explaining something for the hundredth time.

"Ok then, but I still have some more questions, _doctor_… Where is your usual _medical-babble_ and wasn't it about brain injuries last time?" Mitchell snapped as he immediately felt something was wrong in her manners and speech.

"I never said such things… Say: if at least it was _in fact_ brain injuries…"

Carolyn said, pouting slightly in a way that nearly destabilised Cam from the surprise of seeing her acting that way. The colonel glanced at both of them: she looked sulking; the general was once more sighing with exasperation. This whole new nonsense was enough to irritate back the pilot: he put his fist on his hips –more careful with his injured arm-, frowning at them like a grownup would frown at misbehaving kids before lecturing them. Yet before he could do anything, Landry added:

"We'll try to find a way to get you out of there and move you to a higher security loony bin. Then we'll make sure they'll fill your spare time with shrink appointment…"

Cam rolled his eyes and commented with sarcasm, clearly infuriated at how sick everything was turning up: "Wow! Talk. About. a blissful schedule!"

But then he let a little of his frustration show, half contained as he spoke with his teeth clenched:

"You two don't even sound close to be convincing!"

Again he heard the general's annoying sigh and he saw Lam switching her weight from one foot to the other with vexation, avoiding his look. That wasn't them; they would not behave this way and talk about sending him to another asylum that lightly. Mitchell was feeling manipulated, he was feeling livid in both way, but he was also becoming more nervous and confused since he could not make any sense of anything and every time he thought he could see through this, it was worsening. He was helpless and feared he would crack down eventually if things keep on this way…

At this moment, as he was frozen in front of them and the unmoving guards, he caught a glimpse of something bright red on his white t-shirt. He immediately looked down to see it was a stain of blood forming on the fabric, right over the heart, or maybe a little bit more on the left. He thought his nose was bleeding or something like that first, but realised it was coming from under this shirt. Suddenly having a bad feeling about this, he drove his finger on the stain, slightly pressing on it to find out if it did hurt.

He flinched with shock: not, it was not painful; it was more like a little numb… but there was kind of hollow. Mitchell immediately grabbed the collar of his t-shirt and pulled it down to hastily take a look at this wound. And…there was a damn large and bloody hole right in his chest!! Panicking, he was going to clasp one hand really tight on the large round gap as an ultimate attempt to prevent bleeding to death, when something struck him: that was not possible to have such a wound and still being alive enough to stand and be angry; the wound was at the same exact spot as the Letelk spike was and, finally, the two guards, the physician and the general were acting more than incongruously. In fact, they were looking at him placidly as if that kind of bleeding injury was usual. That was too much for him.

"You can see _that_, right?!"

Mitchell let out, trying the best he could to remain calm, but there was an obvious hint of nervousness, maybe even hysteria in his tone. While saying that, he simply poked one finger _in_ this bleeding gap, showing to the others –but proving it to himself as well- it was indeed deep and real.

"Sir, Carolyn, tell me it's not only a vision, that this hell of a… a _wound _is not just in my mind!"

He let go the collar of his shirt, slightly turned his back toward them and looked over his shoulder at another red stain of blood as the liquid was soaking the fabric in his back at the same level, keeping on with edgy sarcasms:

"Hey, you can't say you are just missing that _tunnel_: it's goin' right through!"

Cam crossed his arms on his chest and faced them back, holding a wince when he put pressure on his hurting wrist, but fighting to look convinced of something: they won't fool him, they won't make him believe he was having hallucinations. He couldn't be the one going crazy… even if he thought he was in a really bad nightmare he could not escape. Yet Landry cleared his throat, not even moved be the colonel's attitude, and simply answered:

"Well of course we can see this, what were you thinking?"

Cam's braving look nearly melt when he heard the answer: they were not even trying to convince him he was going crazy this time: they were conceding a man could have been impaled right through his lung and could at the same time look fully healthy. And they were not even trying to give him a logical explanation.

"And you don't think it's wrong, it doesn't get to your mind you could call an ambulance for this or something, Sir…?" Mitchell asked, snickering slightly yet with an acted innocent tone. His own blood was still pouring and now wetting his crossed arms.

"Carolyn, do you think Mitchell is unwell?" Landry asked her softly, so much Cam could not tell if he was kidding him or not.

"I'm the doctor, he is fine." She answered, shrugging carelessly. She barely took a look at the pilot anyway.

"Yeah, I'm fine and that's another thing that does not make any sense when we take time to ponder on that!" Cam commented with cynicism, still having hard time to stay cool-headed with all this.

"Listen, son, you have to face it: you are in a padded room because of the evil blue E.T. and its spike. That means we can act like we are really sorry we cannot help you, but whatever happens we still won't do anything to help you anyway…"

Landry began to explain Mitchell with a placating tone. But of course the SG1 leader scoffed like he heard one of the most absurd explanations ever. And that offended the older man a little because he kept on:

"Now Mitchell you will behave: you are getting as annoying as a thick piece of shit in a shallow bucket! You're in denial, you're obviously delusional and you are crazy!"

The younger man nearly choked when he heard the answer –what an answer it was!- and immediately replied with a mocking grin to hide how much the situation was growing on his nerves and sanity:

"No, I know about it too well now: I'm not crazy, I'm maybe the only one that still is sane 'cause there is _no way_ I could imagine so much stupid things outta your speech, general… Yep: much more than usually and that could ring any bell! Seriously: I'm not even sure that meant something!"

When he saw the outraged look on the older man's face, Cam chuckled silently and slightly, before adding: "And there's no way I'm gonna apologize for this, _Sir_… I'm going out of here; you'll call me if you need me…"

On that, the pilot moved toward them, planning to brush pass them and making his way in the psychiatric hospital corridor: after all, what else could he do, he was feeling like he was really losing it. Maybe getting out of this room would help him. But he wasn't even halfway toward the door that the guards and Carolyn stepped on the side to block his way.

"Where do you think you're going?" She asked, clearly angered just that abruptly.

"Now you tell me, Doc Oc, I don't know this place and I hope I'll never know it. And that works also for you: how could I just hallucinate that you are playing along in that sick game?" Cameron answered her with a sardonic smirk; with a suddenly so calm tone it looked creepily mad.

"You're schizophrenic. That explains everything." She replied, frowning a little.

That was a kick to his smartass grin and Mitchell found nothing to answer at the very moment. Yet before he could start to splutter, somebody peek in the room, the head and the shoulders the only part of this person he could see in the doorway.

"Hey there!"

This person said with a merry tone, a broad smile on her lips. Cam wasn't expecting this, but he was somehow relieved to see her; whatever if she looked too happy –maybe it was part of the rescue plan: they had to have a plan to get him out of this bad joke- : it was Carter, it was unmistakable.

"Sam, you're there! That's great: they are all behaving so madly, I was getting worried…" Mitchell told her more seriously, still trying to pass by Lam and the guards that were again blocking his way by stepping aside.

"Oh…hey yeah you're right."

Carter answered. However, Mitchell felt something was wrong: she seemed half convinced only when he informed her. And now she was retreating from the doorway behind the guards and looked to be walking away.

"Wait wait wait! Stop! Where are you going?" Cam asked her with disbelieve, pushing one of the guard aside to have a better view of what was going on in the corridor. The mental institute employee let him have a better sight, but didn't let him get out.

"But I'm doing my job…" Carter answered; a puzzled look on her face.

The pilot raised a nonplussed eyebrow, looking at her without believing it, then at the object that was before her: it was a food tray, cafeteria-style tray where remained many food platters… She was the one helping dispensing the meal to the asylum patients, she even had a kind of scrubs vest over a white t-shirt and white pants: she looked to be indeed working here. Landry and Lam turned as well toward her, wondering.

"So SG1 was only to supplement your income?" Mitchell did sarcasm again, anger and nervousness taking back over him. He had no other defence than this kind of humour; he was shifting from one foot to the other, tensely.

"What is SGC?" Carter asked, still confused.

"Right… I get it… And why don't you ask our general?" Cam snapped with a grin, derisively patting Landry on the shoulder as he was saying so.

"What?! Son, I have no idea what you are talking about." Hank said, frowning a little and staring at Mitchell like he was some sort of mad man.

"That's gettin' old: Sir, why are we calling you "general" if you never heard of it?" Mitchell retorted, getting more and more irritated.

"I am leading a military base in Iraqi indeed, but I never heard about something called _SGC_ before." Landry said dryly.

"Weren't you the one talking about blue aliens few minutes ago, right before mentioning buckets in a quite interesting way?" The pilot snapped.

They all went silent, even Carter in the corridor with her tray, looking at each other like they just heard to most insane thing ever and did not know if they should be laughing or be frightened. One of the institute employees guarding the door turned toward Samantha and told her to get back to her room, as a try to keep her from the colonel's madness. Cameron gulped nervously: damn, that was getting sickening, that was giving him a hell of a headache, he couldn't think right and find out what was real or not… he was going crazy and was scaring him.

"Great, she's the most brilliant of us and she got her own padded room as well…" He commented with irony.

He paused: was his voice shaking? Mitchell cleared his throat, tried to smile but it looked more nervous than anything, and then added with sarcasm again: "What now, Jackson and a straitjacket?"

* * *

"Vala, don't touch it: he needs to keep it on himself. He is in detoxification and removing the pebble too quickly could be fatal for him: we must do it gradually." Jackson told Mal Doran as he was shooing her away from the blue stone.

"Daniel is right. We have already planned the operation: Mitchell will remain in close contact with the Letelk stone for a predetermined number of hours, and then it will be removed for another predetermined number of minutes. We will decrease the first count and increase the second one step by step until he will not need being close to it anymore." Carter explained to Vala softly.

* * *

Cameron blinked with bewilderment: he thought he heard some voices coming from nowhere, as if some words were barely getting to his mind as he would still be half-asleep. But at this moment, he heard a long shrieking coming from the corridor and he pushed the guard aside just in time to see Daniel in patient clothes as well, running like a wacko from another man working at the asylum. Daniel had escaped and the other was there to catch him to get him back to his room. They whooshed right in front of him and it seemed to amuse a lot Carter: she was bursting into laughter and cheered Jackson with merry hurrahs.

"What the hell…?" Cameron whispered with disbelieve

"I'm going to tell you what is going on: you are losing it. And know how to end this: we have to get to a more extreme answer to this problem…" Landry began, suddenly annoyed and frowning at Mitchell that was standing just beside him and nearly stepping in the corridor.

* * *

"Who could have guessed it would end up this way…" Daniel sighed.

They where probably all thinking the same: poor Mitchell! The archeologist and the rest of SG1 where visiting their leader at the infirmary. The pilot was still unconscious, but at least his condition had clearly improved since Vala and Jackson brought the blue pebble to him. Now he was only lying on a bed, the ventilator out since he could breathe all by himself.

* * *

Another shriek: Daniel was coming back the other side of the corridor, the guard hot on his trail. Cameron turned his face to watch him, still too puzzled and stunned to move.

"Who could have guessed it would end up this way…" Daniel screamed at him with a broad crazy smile. A Cheshire Cat-like smile; the kind that creeps out a lot.

This time, Mitchell could not control himself; he could not stand a so great lack of sense anymore, he had to express his frustration by any way. Livid, utterly infuriated, he shouted madly at Jackson -that was already running away:

"Ah screw you Jackson!!! _SCREW YOU_!!!"

* * *

Teal'c, Vala, Samantha, Daniel, Landry and Carolyn stood still: Mitchell had stirred in his comatose sleep, mumbling and whispering so weakly and huskily it was barely audible. They glared at each others while the physician was already moving to check on him in case he was waking up.

"Um… what did he say?" Daniel asked, a little confused by what he thought he heard.

"I believe Colonel Mitchell said: …" Teal'c began, but was immediately interrupted sheepishly by Carter:

"He is still unconscious: he must have some sort of dreams."

"But Mitchell still said…" A slightly puzzled Vala began, turning her attention away from the stone set on Cam's chest.

"Alright, we all heard very well." Landry interrupt her, putting an end to this conversation.

* * *

This time he could not deny it: Mitchell was hearing some muffled voices and it was not the guards, Carter, Lam or the general that were talking to him: those were starring at him with their mouth shut. It was voices, only to think about this concept seemed awfully crazy. He was hearing voices even if he could not hear what they were telling him. With horror, Cam backed off slightly to put more distance between him and the others, even if it meant he was getting further from the exit of this room too white. The pilot rubbed his eyes with his able hand, swallowing nervously and scanning the room like he was some sort of cornered hunted down wild animal.

"You leave us no other choice. And that more extreme answer I was talking about would be this one…" The general told Mitchell firmly, taking something out of one of his pockets.

It was a gun; Landry was aiming Cameron with a threatening look on his face. Even Carolyn seemed to have one, and not a plain one: it was a very powerful one and Mitchell knew it. The pilot looked in their eyes, remaining still but his own eyes showing various emotions: shock, surprise, doubt, disbelieve, anger… and dread.

"Sorry, there is no other way: you have no other use for us…" Hank said coldly, cocking the hammer of his gun…

**To be continued**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry for those who are actually waiting for my updates: I took a lot of time to write that one, but mostly because I had school and homework… yeah  
And by the way I forgot to mention: the setting is about middle season 10**

-------------------

A gun aimed at him. He was military so of course that was not pleasant at all for him… that kind of thing makes you nervous at best anyway. But seeing his own general -or at least something or someone exactly like the older man yet it was impossible to Cam that _this_ was indeed Landry- doing so and threatening him with his handgun, telling he's useless as well, could send shiver down the lt. colonel's spine. Still Mitchell did not raised his hands like it use to be wiser to do; instead he look straight in the older man's eyes, trying to determine if the threat was real or not.

Because it was the question: was it real? Was it a sort of dream he could still feel pain and read –two hints meaning you are not dreaming- ? He caught a glimpse of Carolyn moving slightly closer, staring blankly at him. She could not want to kill him this way, Lank could not jeopardize his job to kill any of his men, Daniel could not simply run around in a psychiatric hospital and Carter could not simply enjoy that show… It was all fake; they could not fool him to think it was reality.

"Go ahead: shoot me! Come on you know how to do this! After all, nothing will happen 'cause I won't be duped by that crap…"

Mitchell teased them calmly and with a slight grin; yet that grin showed no happiness at all. Again he was fighting to keep his head cool. However, the General and the physician did not even answer to him, they simply press the trigger and fired on the pilot. In utter surprise, - because he was thinking that maybe by confronting the absurdity of the situation he would be released of whatever had hold on him- Cam took the shots without being able to tell where they landed, before sinking to his knees with a short groan of shock and pain.

For the first seconds he was on the ground, he felt as if every single nerve and vein in his body were on fire, clasping his arms tightly around his torso and abdomen until he would shake from the effort, as if it could ease the cruel pain. It was so intense he forgot about his wrist: it was only another pain signal amongst the others… And there were shooting stars and black and white dots before his eyes, dizziness taking over him again.

At least it did not last long: the agonizing burning feeling reduced to throbbing pain but he then realised it leaved him breathless all those seconds where nothing else than ache signals were sent to his brain. He inhaled sharply, lowering his eyes to check on his new probably bleeding gashes… yet there wasn't any kind of injury, not even a flesh wound.

Cam could not help but to snicker first, then to chuckle and shake slightly his head: maybe he sounded psycho or mad to have fun after being shot, maybe his mind was about to crack by trying to remain sane, but now he had a proof –a very painful one- that there was no way he was really in this room, with those people… His friends will help him out of that craziness and back to reality, he now knew it.

The sound of a gun being reloaded; Mitchell raised his head slowly, tired as if he had run for two day without stopping to drink, eat or sleep: Carolyn was standing next to him. He did not hear her coming. Yet Landry was nowhere to be seen, and now that he was looking around like a puzzled drunk he could see that Carter was gone as well and the corridor outside the room was now so dark he could not see pass the doorway. And the woman was pointing at him with the weapon once more, this time aiming his head. Again he chuckled tiredly: he only had to wait for help or else what could he do it that kind of illusion?

"So what are you trying to do with th'Winchester, _lady_?" He teased softly, not looking at her anymore.

"To kill you." She stated coldly. Yet that didn't even make Cameron flinch.

"Is it successful yet?" He asked, smirking with no joy.

"It will be this time."

Cameron struggled to his feet, trying to ignore the throbbing, his wrist which was hurting back and the dizziness. Once up yet a little unsteady, he faced the woman –or the illusion- and crossed his arms, braving her. Perhaps he wasn't too convincing: he was stiff from the whole aching, pale as well with dark circles under his eyes, still in the psychiatric patient clothes, but at least he was trying to keep his dignity to the very end. All the way until he was up and then, she kept the gun aimed at his forehead, standing about a meter and a half from him (4.91 feet). Mockingly, he told her in a childish way:

"Alright, so I dare you to press that trigger… Yeah, something tells me you know the meaning of a _surgical_ strike… Shoot right between the eyes and you'll win the biggest teddy bear! "

He could not tell if it angered her up, she was not real to him anyway. Yet before Lam could unload her weapon into the pilot's nice looking face, Mitchell heard a sound thud and then the woman collapsed to the ground, knocked out cold. And standing behind where she was, having slugged her on the head almost certainly, O surprise!, it was his father. He was smiling at the pilot, looking congenial and happy, standing on his feet without crutches, perhaps even more steadily than Cam himself. Immediately, not even shocked or surprised but most likely getting pissed off of all this, Mitchell's grin disappeared and he commented with frustration and mostly aloud to himself:

"Great, what's that? The last attempt to destabilise me?! That's lame… 's not even fun!" He uncrossed his arms, setting his fists –and saving his hurting one the more he could- on his hips.

"Hello, son. Your mother and I were worrying: we haven't heard of you for more than a year!"

Where were the guards? They had vanished as well! So that was the right time for Mitchell to try to ignore that chimera and go for a walk, even if it won't help him. That would be better than listening to those manipulations getting more and more personal.

"Get lost, that's useless." Cam sighed, planning to walk away pass the other man.

"See: I have new legs! I can walk!" The so real-looking illusion of his father kept on, not even moved by the colonel's behaviour.

"Fine, congratulation." He did not want to give a damn about that. Cameron stepped over the body of Carolyn and head toward the door, before adding with sarcasm: "So you can run, you can dance and even kick dead my very own doctor. Hey: next Thanksgiving supper, you'll have to teach me tap-dance..."

But just as he was passing beside the older man, this last one suddenly turned to face him, grabbing him firmly by the shoulder before whispering to Mitchell on a low and threatening tone:

"You didn't even take a look at it."

Taken aback by the so creepy tone the character of his father took, Mitchell instinctively looked down at the older man's calves: the man was lifting up the bottom of his pants. Cam nearly shivered when he clearly saw those new legs were made of blue pebbles… of goddamned Letelk stones! The pilot immediately broke free from his false father hold as if his touch was burning him, stepping back slowly. No matter how hard he tried to tell himself it wasn't real, Cam could not help but feel truly alarmed by that sight. The older man let go the bottom of his pants and took a step closer, holding out his arms as if he was trying to placate his son. But again the SG1 leader backed off, gulping nervously before raising his tone:

"You. Get. The. Hell. Away from me!"

His false father froze, looking more and more threatening and hateful.

"Well… I see you leave me no other choice since you don't want to believe me anymore…"

He hissed with a voice that this time felt so odd and hostile to Cam, with words so alarming that he stunned with shock, holding his breathe and waiting for further explanations. He room seemed to be getting colder quickly, but it was not what concerned him.

"So what is _really_ happening?" Mitchell nearly whispered between his clenched teeth, pressing yet suspicious.

"I was generous, I wanted to spare you that _experience_…" The illusion said, ignoring the colonel.

"What. Is . Really. Going on?! Tell me!" Now Cam was getting deeply frustrated and his tone was firmer and colder.

"…Most _humans_ are afraid to suffer and to be scared…" The older man kept on explaining. And his iris and pupils were getting more and more blue, the air colder as well.

"To spare me that?! The infirmary and all, the choking and the assaults; that wasn't even a close shot!" Mitchell snapped. Was it he or the room was getting blurred and the false dad's face paler?

"You don't want to know." The other said simply.

"I want to know, you can't keep me disconnect from reality that way! What are you doing to me? You or your people, it don't matter: I only want to know!"

"… But it is your choice to see the truth, no matter how hard I tried to warn you…" Said the older man.

Mitchell blinked and at the moment he opened his eyes, he found himself facing a white sky, white from a tremendous snowstorm. The wind was wildly whistling and the snowflakes were whipping his exposed skin, forcing him to squint and wince. He was lying down in the snow and at this very moment were he realised that, he became aware of the pain as well. The searing pain. Again he felt as if his entire body was on fire or pierced by thousands of sharp needles at the same time… yet he could not move: the pain was too great, his muscles and bones too sore and broken and bruised, the cold to numbing.

Overwhelmed by fear, Mitchell could not even cry out: he was choking on a warm and metallic tasting liquid. He knew that feeling too well: it was blood, blood up his throat to his mouth, blood coming from a possible severe injury. And by how cold he was and how drained, he was lying there for too long to get away with that internal bleeding. That was too real, it could not be real! How could he be unable to convince himself somebody was still trying to fool him and that this scene wasn't really happening?

"I did not want you to live your last hours in a that horrible way… but you wanted to know…"

An odd muffled hissing; Cam moved the only part of his body he could still move and turn his eyes to where the voice came from. It was blurred, but It was there, standing beside him, in a vaguely human but more animal shape, the Letelk. Mitchell let out a weak and raucous groan, a vain attempt to protest: his words choked in his throat. He was back on that planet where SG1 had been captured… no: he _never leaved it_…

"You fell off the noisy fast engine, the snowmobile. There is nothing your people can do: your own broken bones had pierced your muscles and your guts. I can only feed myself of your blood and make your death more bearable, I have no other powers. I warned you you would not like it." The creature kept on, speaking with a weird voice even with no mouth at all.

"No… Th… That can't be tr… true…" Cam protested weakly, closing his eyes and wincing at the pain.

"You are dying, I caused your illusions." The creature said flatly.

"That's… that's not real, I'm going… crazy… No no… no I'm not goin'… crazy that's just…" Mitchell still protested in a nearly hysterical whisper.

"It is real"

"That's just a vision… no it's… a tr… trap: someone wants to break me… I must be… in a Goa'uld mother ship… being manipulated… or fooled at Adria's…" The pilot kept on, keeping his eyes tightly shut as if it could chase the vision of the snowstorm and the Letelk away.

"No."

"Yeah, that's… it, that makes more sense! The … bitch's… trying to break me… Now I have to… find a way to escape before… before I really go cr… crazy!" Cameron kept on, ignoring what the creature was trying to convince him of. He still hoped it was not over…

He felt something tingling the side of his lips at first, then something stroke him hard on the side of his jaw. Taken by surprise, his eyes shot open and he spit a little bit of blood as when you split your lip. But the moment he saw the scene going on around him, the people in the same room as he was, and that was not outside in a snowstorm… Cameron started to chuckle and shake the head as if it was too good to be true.

"Hey! Now that's way better!"

He commented warmly, a lot more relieved than he would have been usually facing this situation, but that reality made more sense to the man that was kept in those mad illusions for days. The man in armour that punched him froze and looked surprised at the colonel's sudden hilarity, so looked all the other present in the greyish room.

"What is so funny, Colonel?"

Her tone was firm, hiding her frustration to see her captive that uncaring about her mind torture. Mitchell didn't answer right away, he preferred to analyse his new situation: he was sitting on a kind of long chair that reminded him of the one you can find at a barber shop, yet his ankles and his wrists –including the one that kept throbbing with pain- were attached on it. He was in his usual battle uniform, a little dusty but at least he had something on. He was in a kind of cell with a particular yet dull architecture, a grey and depressing room. Around him, there were many Ori followers, armed and vicious looking, this kind of armoured guards that use to be SG1's enemies. Beside him, there was a strange alien machine and one of the men holding some electrode-like devices as if he had just took it off Mitchell's scalp, some devices that probably affect the brain… And before him was their leader, the Orici, Adria that was fortunately dressed as she should, as it was more logical to see. She was losing patience in addition.

"You know, you nearly drove me nervous there with your little picture show… but I knew it from the start that wasn't real. So what was _that_ anyway, mind control? Playing around with crappy nightmares?"

Mitchell finally answered, obviously teasing her with his kidding and his smart-ass grin. Still he was half honest: those artificially-induced chimeras could have been his downfall to insanity if he had not fought it as much as he did. Still he was feeling drained and wondered how much punch he took while being in that very bad dream, those mad scenes that lasted since he first woke up at the infirmary after coming back from the other planet.

Adria was not answering, only looking at him with disdain.

"And what d'you want to know? For torturing me like this, that must be really big…"

Mitchell kept on, again mocking even if his situation didn't look that good. At the same time, he was beginning to wonder how he ended up in a cell of an Ori ship –because it looked a lot like that kind of cell-… Maybe they got him while he was on a mission, after Lam removed the Letelk spike… but then why wouldn't he remember what happened at SGC until he got caught? Worst: what if the Ori had invade Cheyenne Mountain…? And was artificial illusions made to crack up his mental defence the kind of thing Adria would do? Something looked wrong… or maybe she had no other choice.

"You will have to answer my questions very carefully. You are allowed only four mistakes. Be aware of this." Adria suddenly told him severely.

"What? Why only _four_ mistakes?" Cam asked her, wondering.

"Your companions." She simply answered.

And with that, Mitchell began to feel more alarmed and nervous: she had to be bluffing. He did not want to believe her on that: that would mean she had the rest of it team locked away somewhere. He licked his dry lips, licked away the blood on his split lower lip, before trying to keep his composure and acting as he did not care:

"They're not even there, how do you want me to believe you if I have no proofs?"

If they were aboard, he could see them, see if they were alright… and escaping was easier when they were all together. Yet Adria did not answer: she motion toward one of the guards and this one went to the wall at Mitchell's left. The soldier seemed to press on a button on it and a kind of iron curtain slid on the side to unveil a large window to the next room, the next cell room. Cameron looked with apprehension and unfortunately found that the other side of that glass, in a room quite similar to the one he was in, Carter, Daniel, Teal'c and Vala were fastened to chairs as he was, surrounded by guards as well. The colonel clenched his jaw and scowl, anger slowly taking over him even if he did not want to believe what he was seeing.

"That's another of you Jedi mind trick or what? Nice try but I'm fed up; tell me when you'll be over with this."

The pilot snapped, turning his face away from that window to the other room: that could be another illusion to force him to talk; he had to avoid falling into that trap.

"… And I don't think you can be serious about that: you would kill your own mother?" Cam added.

Adria did not answer, but her guards moved to the SG1 leader fastened on his chair and grabbed his head, forcing him to turn his head back toward the window. He tried to struggle; he grunted with anger and the efforts and clasped the arm of the chair until his knuckles turned white, but they succeed and immediately tied another large and rigid strap to his neck to keep him from looking away this time. They backed off, leaving Cameron fighting in vain against his restraints. But the man was already drained and he had enough of this useless struggle against the straps; he was breathing heavily, his chest the most mobile part of his body, his jaw clenched, not saying a word, frowning with frustration… but he was scanning by that window with a concerned look in his azure eyes. That looked so real: SG1 was there, looking gloomy, tired as if they had been beaten or tortured as well. But it had to be an illusion, or he had to show he did not believe they were there: maybe Adria would leave them alone if she realised Mitchell did not care…

"Now…"

Adria voice reached him, yet he could not see her, he could only watch what was going on in the next room. He hated being unable to see his enemy.

"Now I will ask you the first question, I hope you have considered the risks of a wrong answer…" Adria kept on.

Cameron gulped with difficulty because of the straps on his neck: what was she planning to do?

**To be continued...**

**doubts doubts doubts:)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: oooh, I love that part**

"Now I will ask you the first question, I hope you have considered the risks of a wrong answer…" Adria kept on.

Cameron gulped with difficulty because of the strap on his neck: what was she planning to do? In fact, he had his head held at a 90° position and he was clueless about what the Ori would want from him… The code for the Gate to Earth? The location of Earth? Information about their weapons, in case some could threat the Ori? And again: how the hell did he ended up there?! 

"First of all, your word is a name, _Spelunker. _Definition: A person whose hobby is exploring caves" Adria suddenly said, still so seriously it was unbelievable.

"What the hell: Spelling Bee?!" Cam exclaimed nearly hysterically, chuckling so hard his restraints hurt him. "You nearly convinced me the scene was real!! So the joke is going on, uh?"

That was too insane, just when he was thinking he was finally in touch with reality, things were going just too crazy, proving the nightmare was not over yet. Cameron was laughing even if the strap tying up his neck was close to strangle him: his mind was about to crack if this thing was keeping on… 

Yet Adria was not laughing: she was even more livid. Mitchell could not see her face though; he only heard her cold and stern voice as she ordered to the guards:

"Kill one of them." 

Cam held his breath: it was not real; those trying to fool him were trying to scare him. But even if he wanted to think so, he could not help but feel scared at the idea she would kill one of his friends. A rustle beside him told him one of the guards was sending the signal to those in the next room, those guarding the 4 SG1 members. 

And he flinched: by the window, he clearly saw the shot touching Carter right on the chest, killing her instantly. Carter, so bright, so nice… sometime he was thinking she deserved to lead the team even more than he did… Horrified, eyes opened wide and breathing heavily, the emotion was too strong: he saw the pleading look on their face, the horror in their eyes. Mitchell could not look away because of the way he was fastened; he could not tear his gaze from the still form of one of his best friend. Why was it so hard to believe it was not reality? Then anger flooded him. Breathing heavily, the pilot struggled wildly against the restraints, sometime letting out grunts of rage:

"You… bitch! That's not true… that's not real!" He grunted between his clenched jaws, the only thing he wanted was to get free and kill that Adria, even if it was only an illusion. 

And the others were still looking at him in a way that made him want to be blind at the moment. A footstep close to him and suddenly he felt a burning pain in his injured wrist: somebody was pressing really hard on it, willingly to calm him down. Mitchell nearly let out a cry of pain, but he bit his lips to hold it. He struggled again against the strap in his neck, trying to see who was the bastard that was playing with his injury, but he discovered it soon enough when that other spoke again:

"Dog female? Such an insult. You are getting hopeless… I warned you, you should answer correctly."

"No you won't trick me this way, you're not real…" Mitchell growled, trying to avoid the others' eyes and to forget the awful and dizzying pain in his arm.

No answer, but Adria let go his wrist. The SG1 leader tried again to turn the head in vain, wondering what would come next, what would happen in that false reality. Then he felt a pressure on his lap, or more on one of his legs, that suddenly: the Orici decided to sit on him. He gulped, confused. Then he felt two arms being passed around his neck and shoulders in a gentle way, as if she was nearly hugging him: what was she doing?! Again he fought his restraints with more fury, snapping with anger:

"Get off; you won't get anything from me this way: this place is not real!"

"Oh yes I will, and after this the entire universe you ever knew will be mine…" She whispered to him softly. Yet even with a soft tone, there was something sadist in her voice.

"And you think asking me to spell spelunker before flirting with me is a good plan? I'm not buying this…" Mitchell snapped, still breathing heavily.

He wanted her away from him, yet she was now leaning closer, cuddling him and slowly passing her hands in his hair. Again he fought his restraints, he tried to push her off, but it was vain. He could not see her, yet he could feel her breathe on his cheek. When she began to gently and playfully bite his earlobe, Cam jolted with surprise and repulsion, trying again to break free from her embrace, but he was really well fastened on the chair, unable to move much. Fortunately, he still had his clothes on, be she was beginning to scare him.

"That's sick that's…" He began to growl furiously, unable to reply in any other way.

"I want to strangle you." She interrupted playfully. 

"What?! Get lost!" He grunted.

Again she was stroking his cheeks and giving him short teasing kisses, ignoring his comments. 

"That would be fantastic to feel you die on me." She kept on.

"_Under_ you in that case, get the hell off me!" He snarled.

Without warning, Adria let him go, still on one of his lap, and punch him strongly in his exposed stomach. He huffed, his breathe cut immediately, nauseous right away, and he would have compulsively curl in a ball if he wasn't fastened this way. Yet before he could catch his breath, she clasped her hand on each side of his still turned toward the window face, clasped so hard her nails were digging into his skin, and pushed strongly his head on the side so it would hit the headrest of the chair. The temple right on the hard headrest. 

Mitchell gasped, half knocked out on the instant, and tried again to move in vain, but he was only bruising his able wrist and his ankles even more, hurting the muscles of his neck and grating his skin raw against the restraint. When the fog left his mind and his sight, he could clearly see his friends and team-mates looking at him, watching as he was being beaten and as his stubbornness killed Samantha. No matter how hard he was trying to convince himself that was only a chimera, he could not help but feel deeply mortified and guilty. And all that left him light-headed…

"You can't dupe me this way: Adria would never behave that way, no matter how many beers she had, _if_ she ever had some…" 

Cameron said between his clenched teeth, a mocking and victorious smile on his lips as he was still trying to keep his composure. He found another proof to conform the fact nothing that was going on was real.

"Kill the next one." The Orici said coolly to her guards.

"No don't!!" Mitchell exclaim a little louder than he would prefer to and with utter concern, forgetting what he was telling himself since he realised the situation was too crazy to be true. 

But it was too late: in the next room, the Ori followers aimed their gun at Jackson and shot him. He went limp in his chair, dead. Sometime Daniel was complaining, unable to detect the risks and talking too much –he was a civilian after all- but it did not mean he was not a very dear friend. The colonel shut his eyes tight and took deep breath: damn, he lost it; he could not mourn illusions! Now anger was flooding back his mind, always stronger and more threatening to overwhelm him and to take over his good sense.

"I did it." Adria said carelessly.

"Whoever's creating all this crap's gonna pay for it…" He was livid, taking deep breathes, but not succeeding to shiver down anyway. 

"You created all that, no one else did." She said.

"Screw it: why would I do such a thing?! It's another trap; all this's a trap…" He was hardly keeping his cool.

"Quiet."

As she ordered that, she reached for the strap in his neck and pressed on it at his trachea level. The collar-like restraint squeezed immediately and even more his windpipe, strangling him slowly. Alarmed, the pilot gasped for air and struggled wildly again, his eyes opening wide as his sight was fading quickly from the oxygen deprivation. He was already unable to do anything against her tied up as he was, that was even more frustrating and upsetting now. Or maybe it was his oxygen starved mind that wandered a little… 

His throat seemed on fire and he felt that knifing pain in his chest as he was in vain trying to draw air in his lungs. He even felt his body beginning to shake uncontrollably as she was putting even more pressure. The woman sat on him probably get off his laps –hard to tell: he was so dizzy and his head was now hurting as if somebody was hammering his skull with bricks- before Adria's blurred visage appeared in front of him, in the little spot left of sight he had now, the little spot filling with cobwebs.

"I like the look on your face when you are suffocating: I like your wild yet glassier eyes… It will become funnier when the eyes will roll upward, but I only have to wait a little bit more for that wonderful show. And the convulsions will also be awe-inspiring to watch, when your brain will begin to die… Tell me: you are afraid aren't you?" She said, her voice vaguely muffled by the ringing in Cam's ears. 

"J…just han… hang yourself!" Cameron could only let out those words -plus some additional swearing- huskily and with a lot of difficulty, literally choking on his words.

"Nice try."

As she said that, clearly sarcastic, she put less pressure on his throat to make sure he would not faint yet and ruin the little fun she had torturing him. Immediately, Mitchell breathed in and gasped as a man that nearly drowned, not taking care of her anymore: drawing oxygen to his blood was way more important than the reason why she released the pressure –and unfortunately not the strap-. 

Only then he met her eyes and immediately felt utterly victorious: there it was again, the sclerotic, the iris and the pupil all of the same opaque blue, that blue he came to hate… Letelk blue. This crap was again haunting him, but Mitchell was hysterically triumphant, too much stress, nonsense and anxiety for too long…

"I knew it, I told ya: _that_… Definitively a proof!" The pilot exclaim, chuckling feverishly.

He could see those stone-like eyes scanning him as if surprised. 

"… A proof that this scene is also an illusion and I'm not in one of your lovely ships! 'Cause after all there is no possible link between you and that fuckin' blue monster." Mitchell kept on, something slightly maniacal in his tone. "Not to mention the _thing_ was definitively dead, exploded as I've been told and… Hell why am I trying to explain it?: you're not real! Ha!" He added, with a strange grin on his face.

She backed off slowly, than ordered again:

"Kill the next one."

This time the pilot closed his eyes and took a deep breath, repeating to himself in his mind it was not real, that they were not killing Teal'c right now. The Jaffa, Cam had been amazed by how noble this warrior was, cool-headed, assured… even wise he could say. Somebody was only playing a sick game with him and he could not give in and lose it because of what he was showed. He gulped nervously –with difficulty because of the strap, again- but did not let his concern show.

"See? That's not workin' if I can't watch! What will you do now, cut my eyelids off?" Cameron teased mockingly. Humour and derision was his last defence, his ultimate way to stay sane.

"Only one chance left." Adria's voice stated. He could only hear her with his eyes shut. 

"Of course, I forgot you can add up…" Mitchell commented.

"I can force you to be more cooperative, still." She said.

"Yeah? You really got my attention now; how so?" He said, yet sarcastically. Damn, his neck was really hurting when his head was held that way. 

"Yet it won't save your friend's live..." Adria ignored his question. 

"Because I was supposed to save somebody in first place?" Again he spoke with sarcasm, taking a careless tone.

"It is what you always wish for." She stated.

"But usually I want to save _real_ people's life." Cam made a point.

"Bring it to me." The Orici ordered, but she was talking to her guards.

He heard footsteps from the soldiers leaving, and then the room went silent. Too silent. This was making his tense self even more edgy, his reason fighting his fears in his mind, and he could only chuckle to try to ease that inner pressure. A nervous chuckle tough, again close to madness. He heard the footsteps again and knew the guards were back, yet he did not want to open his eyes: that would be falling into _their_ trap. "_Their"_ being for those inducing this nightmare…

"You don't want to see what will make you suffer soon enough?" Adria asked him on a sweet yet sadistic tone.

"Let me think about it… Nope, not at all! Just… _surprise_ me." Mitchell answered the most lightly he could, a smart-ass grin on his lips. 

He heard the sound of glass brushing on a metallic or a hard surface, the high sound of it suggesting that piece of glass was not too thick or too long. She was trying to catch his attention on purpose and he nearly gave into it: what glass object could she own and use against him? Then another sound: a faint one, the sound of a liquid shaken in a small bottle. Ok, it was getting really intriguing, no matter how much he knew that would mean nothing good and that ignoring it would save him. 

" Do you wonder what I have got for you?" Adria suddenly asked him, as if she was reading his mind. 

"Uh?! No, why would I? You know I put my trust in you." He lied and mocked, again making fun of her attempts to scare him.

"I am filling it." She said.

"Filling it?" He repeated, before going completely still and holding his breath to make no sound at all, trying to hear whatever was going on.

"It is done. I will use a really powerful medicine." She answered.

He nearly cringe in the chair when he realised the object was most certainly a syringe and the bottle was probably containing some sort of drug. Just in time before showing his surprise and horror, he braced himself by reminding himself the illusion could nothing against him and that showing any concern would mean _they_ won… And what if they could directly read his mind: after all, all the weird things he saw came out of his memories somehow. Some of his worst fears, some anguishing moments… 

"Where do you want me to sting you with it, knowing the medicine will probably burn the skin a little? It is very painful when it penetrates the flesh." She asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"What about… _nowhere_? Or why don't you try it on yourself first so I can judge if it really looks painful before makin' my decision?" He answered, smirking. He could already hear what his grandma used to say about shameless and childish replies such the one he gave to that Adria. 

He heard some other footsteps. His eyes were still shut.

"I am holding it right before your face… Make a decision or I will drive it right into your lovely blue eye…" Adria told him, her voice very close to him and threatening.

He was too curious, but mostly he apprehended what would happen next in a way, since he could still feel pain even in this nightmare. This time he could not help but open his eyes slightly and look at what was held before him: she was right; she had a nasty looking needle pointed at a few inches from his face, filled with a silverfish eerie liquid. What could it be?

"What is it for again?" He asked with no care, more like hiding the fact that having that kind of pointy object right in front of your eyes was disturbing a little. So he stared into her lifeless Letelk-blue eyes, trying to look the more fearless he could. 

"To help you speaking." She answered.

"I should have guessed…" He chuckled again, then added teasingly: "But what do you want to know anyway, what does a bad figment of my imagination like you want with me? No need for a crappy truth serum to spell _spelunker_ if it's what you think." 

As if angered up but his childishness, she moved out of his limited vision field, bringing the syringe with her. Slightly concerned, Cam tried to watch what she was doing, but he could not move the head at all to do so as much as he would like to. Damn, his neck was sore from staying twisted that way and being strangled and fighting the restraint did not helped at all. The room went silent again, so much Cam wondered if there still were some guards with them.

"You are already hurt. Your arm, your wrist looks bruised and a little swollen…" Adria stated, as if the illusion was only able to say short and obvious sentences. That pissed him off a little in the long run.

"You found this out all by yourself?" He snapped ironically, getting slowly annoyed by all this. 

"I will make it worst." She exposed.

This time, Mitchell hesitated a little, swallowing compulsively but with difficulty: from all the other he experienced, the pain in his wrist was the worst of all, the most realistic one. Indeed he wanted to pull his aching arm to him protectively, but before that he would have to free it, which was something that seemed impossible right now. Who was he fooling anyway: nothing he could feel, see or hear was genuine! How hard was it to keep it in mind, damn it!?

"I won't even ask how you're planning to do so…" He commented as if he did not care, but there was something in his tone that spoke of his frustration somehow.

"You will find out soon enough, I might repeat myself but it is true." The false Orici answered.

"As if there was anything _true_ around!" Cameron muttered with sarcasm, already clenching his jaw to ready himself.

**To be continued**


	11. Chapter 11

"You will find out soon enough, I might repeat myself but it is true." The false Orici answered.

"As if there was anything _true_ around!" Cameron muttered with sarcasm, already clenching his jaw to ready himself.

"You won't gain anything from being cynical." She commented.

Mitchell nearly flinched when he felt the tip of her fingers softly brushing the top of his tied up and injured hand so much he was feeling hate toward those unknown bastard that were most certainly playing with his mind... plus the little instinctive fear of being hurt. He had to take another deep breathe to stay still and to look careless about her sick little games. But then he really cringed and shivered when she poked his aching and swollen wrist, only with one finger to most certainly tease him.

And just as he was going to mutter something under his breath and curse her, he felt the real burning, knifing pain: without warning, Adria drove the syringe right into his wrist, through the skin and the thin layer of flesh, the tip of the needle reaching and striking immediately the bones. Though it could not pierce the frame, she surely aimed well enough to hit right where the bone was broken: Cameron yelped and tried to fight, but his sight quickly filled with cobwebs because of the momentary blood pressure drop caused by the shock. He could feel his entire arm shaking uncontrollably yet faintly and some beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he clenched his jaw and shut his eyes tight to try to overcome the pain signal. However, Adria was clearly making the moment last longer, playing with the needle still stuck in his wrist and pressing against his broken bone, sometime even giving it a tap or two.

After nearly a minute of this torture, a minute that still felt like an eternity of agony, his muscles aching from being so tense and his forehead getting damp, Mitchell could not hold it anymore and let out, with a short groan of pain:

"Sonofabitch!"

But it seemed like Adria only waited for a clear grunt of pain, because that would prove her little victory against the so stubborn man, to keep on and get to the next step:

"I haven't even injected the medicine yet, you know?" She told him lightly.

"Go to Hell!" He grunted angrily, still breathing heavily and his body tense from trying to bear the knifing pain shooting in his entire arm.

"What is it with you? You don't look too well…"

The false Orici asked as if she was innocent, drawing a hand to the pilot's forehead and brush aside his short hair that was sticking to his damp face, staring with satisfaction at the lines of pain he had on. Yet the man was not answering, knowing it was the reaction that would annoy the most. He shut his eyes again with frustration... and a little bit of shame when he met the false Vala's pity look from where she was in the next room. He had to concentrate on one thing: nothing he could see or feel of whatever was real… no matter how _real _the damn pain felt and how hard he had to struggle to resist the need to fight his restraints like a mad man or to cry out.

"You do not want to answer me?" Adria whispered to him, as if she was truly offended and shocked by this at the same time.

If he answered, he knew his tvoice would be shaking; something he did not wanted to show to anyone, whatever was going on in reality. They'll be damned! Yet the little comfort he gained by trying to stay his stubborn self and even more quickly disappeared then: the bad illusion chose that moment to finally inject that so called _medicine_. Cameron could not help but hiss and yelp with pain as he though at the moment she could have put his hand into a giant ice crusher with the blade heated to a cherry red and was slowly grinding his flesh and bones: she was right when she said it burned… It burned more than Hell or than being shot by Mal Doran or by Volnek.

But the worst is that the agony feeling of having lava instead of blood was slowly climbing in his arm to his shoulder and again he had to fight with all his strength… but this time to not pass out from the pain. Was he really shivering uncontrollably? Was he flushed or livid now? Was he bruising deeply his skin by how tense he was? And the pounding in his head, could anyone else hear it so much it was loud and sickening? Because it was deafening and blinding him after all… The end of every synapse felt like being changed to sharp yet heated needles digging into the skin and Cameron wondered for how long he could stand this if it kept going. The pilot could not help but feel as if he was being only made of flames and the suffering it gave him, nothing else than the pain signal getting to his brain. The burning pain shot across his torso and once it reached there, it seemed like in no time it had spread to his entire body.

It felt like being struck by lightning, but at least it did not last too long: instead of lava in his veins, it felt like it turned to lead or cement… quickly, his fingers and feet became numb, the feeling crawling and flooding his body and soon his mind as well. Mitchell was nearly wondering if it still was connected to his body he could barely feel now. Damn it, it was harder to fight than he thought, and what has been done to him so he felt like a zombie?! And all the fog in his mind, the weird useless and absurd thoughts he realised he had because the drug was driving him easy to distract, all this made him even more frustrated and close to loosing it…

But the ceiling and the floor seemed to be rolling like waves on the sea, as sickening as well… Cameron let out a grunt, blinking heavily to get rid of those additional hallucinations. And Adria's voice, muffled by the damn thing she gave him, came to his hears:

"So, do you believe me now, do you believe you are indeed truly awake? It is reality, but if some details seemed uncanny to you, it is because of the drugs we've been giving you…"

"First of all you changed your explanations again… mea… meaning you are still lying… and then… there's no pill nor shot having a precise enough action to make me see… eerie realistic things but no pink elephant…" Mitchell replied, scoffing. Yet he was slurring, definitively and no matter how hard he was trying to concentrate.

Still she was already not paying attention anymore and she extracted the needle slowly, making sure it would be painful for the poor pilot even if she knew he was sluggish and numb. The colonel could not hold a shiver and a hissing. She walked away from him and quickly came back without the syringe, ready to keep on her sick game.

"I don't… understand why the guys playing with my mind chose you to be… what was her name again?... you know the fat wicked nurse from th'movie Misery… You're kinda playin' the role very well though…" Mitchell added –again slurring- teasingly.

"It is your last chance, shall I remind you…?" The false Orici replied coldly.

"And what ya gonna do when you'll be done with the delusions? You're gonna kill me? I'm gonna wake up somewhere else going over this thing of tortures and lousy explanations? You'll play the tape where my team-mates die again?" Cam snapped, the colder he could with the drug induced haze in his mind, swallowing with difficulty because of the rigid strap holding his neck.

The Orici illusion did not answer, instead she motioned toward the window, the guards in the next room –close to SG1's corpses and Vala, the last alive- taking that signal in and obeying. They moved to Vala's chair and rudely pushed it toward the window, so close her knees bumped into the wall. So close Cam could see her face very well, so close he could not avoid her gaze because of the way he was held. He fought a little and sluggishly against his restraints and against the thought maybe it was real and Mal Doran was really right before his eyes. She was now mouthing something that looked a lot like "help me!" and the fear in her eyes was as much striking if not even more…

"I see the truth serum is not effective enough. But it is not even a small victory for that I have plenty other ways to manipulate you."

The wicked woman said, right beside the pilot. Still he only grunted as an answer, trying to fight again, yet maybe the truth serum was not forcing him to tell anything, but it still had a very unpleasant and very exhausting and dizzying effect. If only he stomach could stop churning, his brain stop killing him or the remaining pain stop teasing him even in his numbness!

"Now you will talk: you cannot fight your pitiful affection and you know it…" Adria kept on explaining.

"That's shit…" Cameron wanted to snap, but his voice was getting weaker and the effect was becoming a lot less impressive at the same time.

"You will be the one killing her, this time." Adria said, ignoring his interruption.

"You're the one doin' it… and I don't care anyway." Mitchell slurred.

"Stop interrupting me!" She suddenly shouted, backhanding the man very hard in the face.

The punch would have snaped his head back if it would have been possible, it though pressed even more on his neck, sending a sudden knifing pain in his muscle so much he nearly feared she had broken his neck, but he also thought he would faint when he felt his already hurting brain knocking on his skull. Breathless and utterly dizzy from the blow, Mitchell blinked owlishly his eyes until his sight would clear, only to let him meet Vala's eyes again. He felt his chair being moved and in no time he was facing the false Orici with her guards behind her –and two were handling the heavy chair he was on. She bent toward him and reached for his cheek that was not pressed to the headrest, forcing him to move the head the more he could to look at her… and God knows how much he could not move it so it was only choking him. Her angry face at an inch or two from his face, she hissed between her clenched teeth:

"You will now listen to me carefully or you may regret it very much…"

He wanted to reply, to point out the fact that if the delusion was getting annoyed, it meant the people controlling it were getting annoyed as well and were, in fact losing control on the situation… But he was so incredibly dizzy and tired –and choked- that nothing came out of his mouth but a pained wheeze. So the angry illusion kept on hissing:

"One word, one insolent reply, one impertinent mockery and she will pay for that! And I can assure you that if you can feel _that_…" She pressed on his injured wrist, making Cam gasp because of the pain, and then kept on: "She will truly feel what we will do to her…"

"That… ain't real…you can't… harm… her!" He struggled to answer, his eyelids getting heavier as he was getting closer to pass out.

"Maybe this room and this vision are not real, but both your bodies held in my torture room are suffering genuinely. And whatever injury you receive _here_, you will receive it _out there_ as well…" She whispered to him with a very threatening tone.

The man froze with shock: was she saying she captured Vala and him and that somebody was torturing and injuring them for real?! That could not be possible! It _had_ to be another lie, just as they were telling him since the beginning when he woke up first at the infirmary. Seeing the prisoner had calmed down, enjoying his shocked look on his face and the fear in his blue eyes, Adria let his head go and backed off, ordering the guards to settle the chair where is was before. Again the chair where Mitchell was fastened on was pushed and again he was facing the window to the next room, the window to Vala's pleading look.

Vala… Why did she matter so much more now that he was thinking about it?

He stopped holding his breath and looked around frantically –only his eyes moving though- trying to think of a way to escape this and get them both out of this kind of virtual world so they could escape in real life… At least he knew the rest of SG1 team was not there or else the one torturing him would have not get rid of them that quickly in this illusion…

But it was so hard to think with the crappy serum he has been injected that seemed to be forming a thick fog in his mind!

"Remember: one wrong answer and I will kill her in a very painful way. What about cutting her throat so we will all watch her gurgling blood to death together…?" Adria warned again, drawing back on her his attention.

"You won't do that… it's too stupid…" Mitchell commented to tease her, trying to act as if he was not worried, but in fact he could not deny the fact he really was. Maybe he was even desperate...

"Now we will begin…" Adria interrupted him.

Cameron gulped, not knowing how to react now, still having doubts she was telling the truth, but knowing that maybe Vala and he could be harmed after all because of his stubbornness and stupid jokes. All this was like a really bad nightmare, everything looked wrong and he could only see Mal Doran right in from of him and guess the false Orici was standing beside him, out of his vision field. Yet an odd but familiar sound reached his ears, even if he was feeling too weird and drugged to understand fully what it meant. Glass tube, little bottle full of liquid...

* * *

"Alright, it has been one hour: put the Letelk stone back on him before his health deteriorate from the withdrawal…" Carolyn Lam ordered a nurse as she was sill doing her check on her unconscious patient, Colonel Mitchell.

"After all we can't afford to lose him only because we are pressing him too much: his pressure has already dropped too low too fast… " She added as she let the nurse in charge of bringing and taking away the alien pebble come closer to the bed and setting the object on the man's chest.

* * *

That was maybe the first time he could feel something clearly since the illusion of Adria injected him with the lousy truth serum, and oddly enough it seemed to be another injection of something else, right on the middle of his torso, through his uniform and his skin. That took him by surprise –and I felt as if he was stabbed right on place- so much he flinched and nearly yelped. But right then, the numbing and exhausting feeling simply disappeared so fast it was shocking, yet only to be replaced by the sensation of being high and tense on adrenalin, plus maybe a warm feeling in his body.

Cameron quickly became troubled by how lucid and jittery he was becoming, and how much being held down tight on that chair was becoming angering and uncomfortable. Every single sore muscle of his wanted to stretch and flex; and the pilot's breathing and heartbeat were accelerating.

She removed the needle carelessly.

"I have reversed the effect of the former serum or else you would have lost consciousness. And in this case it would have been quite unpleasant to me… and to my mother as well…" The voice of the false Orici explained to him and ended with threats.

"What did you give to me?"

The colonel asked her, trying to keep his voice on a calm tone, yet whatever she did to him was making his temper hard to control. In fact, he was livid at her now and that showed in his voice after all. And in addition, there was that weird feeling growing quickly that made him feel like something was brushing past him, walking around him or something. Though that _something_ or _someone_ was not very visible; only sometime a pale and quickly evanescent flashes on the corner of his eyes, even if he was facing a concrete wall and the window. That weird feeling was confusing.

"Only a regular adrenalin injection, the side effects are mild and should not be harmful… at least not as much as I will be." The woman delusion answered coldly.

Yet the SG1 leader had hard time listening to what she was saying: it seemed that there was a kind of background noise getting slowly louder by the minutes; something that looked like voices talking indistinctly, but also some artificial beeping and clinking along with the first sounds. He ignored Vala's puzzled look: she was seeing him freaking out right before her, but it did not matter right now to the colonel:

"Only a _regular_ adrenalin shot?! My ass!" Mitchell exclaimed, licking his dry lips and trying to take a sceptical look at Adria.

But… wait a minute, what was this new and strange smell?, the man thought at the moment, detecting that artificial odour that seemed to now flood the room. And then a longer bright flash that left him with the odd conviction of being not sitting in a chair but lying on his back in a lightly semi-sitting position.

However, before he could exclaim a clear: "What the hell?!", he noticed the frightened look on Vala's face still right in front of him and only separated from him by the window. Then he realised the Ori guards in the next room were right behind Mal Doran, approaching her and aiming their weapon a her while one of them took out a very long and sharp knife. This sight only made Cameron more nervous and he tested again the restraints, only succeeding in bruising even more his ankles, one of his wrists and the skin of his neck.

"You won't kill her only because I don't believe you! You better be…"

Cam began to protest, but he was cut right in the middle of his sentence when the noise he was hearing became suddenly louder and more distinct, so much the people talking seemed all around him, and another flash overwhelmed him. It was as if, for a second, he had been thoroughly disconnected from the reality where he was fastened to the torture chair: he could see a white light, what seemed to be a very blurred and vague ceiling plus the muffled speaking he could not understand, yet no Adria, no Vala nor grey creepy cold walls…

But, no matter how much those visions -while he was most certainly already in a virtual reality meaning already hallucinating- were pushing him on edge, he was quickly drawn back to his misfortune when the Orici's angry voice reached him, full of threat and hatred:

"Idiot, you won't shut up a second! Well you will remember that you killed her this time!"

Again the noise and the other voices, and the flashes so fast; Mitchell did not know what to think, he did not know what he had to believe real or not, too much at the same time… He cracked up: his anger took over and lead him to believe what he wanted to and first thought: that nothing, not even Vala, was real in this room, this universe… So, so livid he was shaking, all his muscles going tense, clenching his teeth and shutting his eyes, Cameron shouted furiously like a madman:

"_You_ will shut up!! You damned bitch! _Kill_ her!! Kill her _now_ and stop fuckin' around with this: you're only trying to manipulate me; she's not even in your ship... _I_ am not even in your ship! Go ahead and kill her: you'll pay for everything you're doing to me anyway, it doesn't matter!!"

And this time, he pulled so hard on his restraints that he felt those instantly ripping off his able arm, allowing him to reach instinctively for his collar and angrily rip it off his neck. And then, so quickly no enemy saw it coming, the pilot turned the head toward Adria and look at her with all the hate he could bear in his eyes, before swiftly reaching for her delicate neck with his free hand, his finger pressing on her throat to choke her with all the frustration and the stress he had accumulated for the past days…

**To be continued!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/n: First of all that part took me time to write mostly because I knew I would be nearly done with this story, and endings are always harder to think of since it is supposed to be very good if not perfect (or in my opinion at least****… but I doubt my things are so close to perfection XD) **

**So sorry if some poeple waited too much for any kind of uptdate**

**I hope I did well anyway… (feel free to comment, uh? )**

**--**

So he was choking her, no; chocking that _delusion_, with one hand stretched before him, his face showing a display of hardly held madness and cold anger as the man that just cracked up was rising from the damned chair. The paler light flashes were getting more frequent to him, but it was as if he was the only one that could see those, and he was too furious to pay attention to those anymore. The false Adria was fighting with a horrified and surprised expression on her face, lifting her wide eyed gaze to meet the tall man's pale and piercing eyes that spoke of so much hatred. Mitchell was now getting much closer to her, pulling her by her neck toward himself so much she could hear well enough his whisper, a vehement and close to a hissing whisper:

"I don't give a damn of who you are, or what you want from me, or what you're _doin'_ to me… but there is one thing I am sure of…" Then after this hateful whisper, his voice went much louder, sounding madly angered: "I'm gonna get through this shit of illusions, I'm gonna switch back to reality and blow the head of the son of a bitch messing with my mind!! There is _no way_ I'll stand that insane little game any longer, I won't be hold that way!!"

This time, he could not ignore the light flashes: it was blinking faster and faster, every time way brighter until it hurt his eyes. He immediately shut tight his eyelids but resisted the urge to let go Adria and raise an arm to block the light; the waves of dizziness was also getting greater every split second. Cameron felt cold suddenly and for a short moment he feared he was transported to another location in this unreal web of horrible visions, condemned to get through another awful and painful scene… There were muffled sounds; voices… were they talking to him? He could not tell; he was feeling so out of it, as if he was at two different places at the same time.

It was like being lost at sea in the middle of a storm, floating up and down, sinking… at last, a cold wave hit him with tremendous strength…

* * *

So he had to take a deep breath to not drown and found himself gasping for air even if he was not really choking, but certainly startled, confused as hell, stressed and freaked out, sitting up as if he had been jolted by a ten thousand volt shock. Cameron could swear his heart would explode in his chest for beating that hard and fast as he was still trying to see through the black dots and the lightning that were shooting before his eyes; his hands grasping on the sheets as if his life depended on it. Everything was still twirling, but fortunately, Mitchell did not feel nauseous for once, only so utterly jittery he was shivering.

"Mitchell?!"

"Oh Cam, thank God you're awake!"

But the colonel was barely hearing the familiar voices: licking his dry lips nervously and narrowing his eyes, he was scanning the room very tensely and frantically, looking for any even barely visible detail that would give away another illusion like those he saw before. His wrist was till aching, but he did not care.

"Mitchell, it's alright: you're at the infirmary, you're safe…"

A voice said beside him, but the man was trying to ignore those to see past the people gathering around his bed. However, when he felt the soothing touch of a hand on his shoulder, the memories of the past days and of the way he always ended up fooled and beaten came brutally back to his mind for the second time since he awoke. He simply jolted under this calm touch, nearly bolting out of the bed but deliberately pushing away that person close to him, before snarling slowly but with so much vehemence and anger that his voice seemed to be someone else's:

"You! You. Back. Off! You. Don't. _Freakin_' Touch me!"

The man thought the delusions were getting more realistic since the doctor Lam's unreal form along with the rest of his team gathering around him looked very shaken at his tone and reaction. Or was it unreal this time? Did his friends save him after all from the freak messing with his mind?

"Colonel, please calm down: it's us, you'll be fine"

Mitchell did not register who told him so among his friends, or maybe more some talking and realistic hallucinations: something caught his attention, some color spot that made his jumpy mind go worst… It was round and small; it was of a bright blue… A piece of the Letelk creature! This time he really jumped off the bed on shaky legs, grateful he had scrubs on but still completely on edge and losing it as he raged:

"That crap will never end or what?! I'm… _fed up_, just fed up with this goddamned… thing!"

On that, the pilot grabbed with his able hand the Letelk stone, the reminder of one of his most wicked personal enemies, the clue that appeared in every false scene that were supposed to fool him, and threw it forcefully away. It crashed at the far end of the infirmary and he could tell it shattered something from the sound it made, but it did not matter: he was livid, starring furiously at the people he knew. He did not know what to do, or how this scene would end up, or even if he was going to come out of this nightmare soon, he was lost and utterly madly infuriated by the fact he could not fight those messing with his mind. And the person in the infirmary were stunned and a little bit scared for some, seriously wondering what was going on with their team leader or what he was talking about.

"Cameron, please listen to me: calm down, you'll only harm yourself…"

Cam shifted his suspicious and nervous gaze on the one who talked, trying to ignore the fact that he was faintly feeling dizzy now. It was Vala, slowly approaching with her hands in a soothing gesture, with her pleading tone and a so concerned look on her face Mitchell nearly felt into that trap: it could not be real, if he believed it was he would lose the fight.

"I won't calm down, not until that sick game's over for real!"

The colonel snapped, now slowly backing off like a cornered wild and injured animal. Some beads of sweat showed on his forehead but he resist the urge to wipe it off.

"Cam, it _is_ over the creature is destroyed, the spike has been removed; now it is only a matter of time until you will be really well…" Vala tried, again concerned but wanting to comfort the man.

"Nice try, really, nice try! But unfortunately you're not the first to tell me that… and all the others turned out to be some distort figments of my imagination so how could you expect _me_ to believe whatever _you_'re telling me!?"

Cameron's tone spoke slightly of madness, tearing off the IV line in a shot, pointing to his temple his able hand mimicking a gun as he mentioned his imagination. That did not help reassuring Lam, SG1 and the nurses in the room at all… They were more than surprised, but they appeared to let Vala talk in case she could really calm the SG1 leader. But the physician slightly turned her head toward one of the nurses, slightly nodding as a signal.

"Please Cameron: I have no idea of what you are talking about; we are not trying to fool you if it is what you think, but you are not well: you should get back to your bed, or at least just take a seat and we'll talk…"

Vala kept on, trying to meet the colonel's eyes but in vain: the man had noticed that one of the nurses leaved suddenly, having a bad feeling about it. Or maybe it was the fact the dizziness was not leaving, but only growing more overwhelming: he could swear he was going paler and feared he might even shake on his unsteady legs. Mitchell blinked a few time, but it did not do anything to help him, and meeting the worried look on Carter, Jackson, Vala and Teal'c's faces was making him feel more uncomfortable and puzzled, but also more unnerved.

"Colonel, are you listening?"

Lam's softest voice nearly startled him and he backed up again, but unfortunately his back was now meeting the cold wall: he could easily end up trapped and the nightmare would keep on and on... The man was feeling sick, he did not know what to thing or what to do; he only wanted to run away, find a place where he could be alone and hide there for weeks.

"I'm not staying at the infirmary any longer, not anymore…"

He let out aloud half to himself, his anger being slowly replaced by his overwhelmed and confused look, his gaze looking blankly for the exit. He swallowed nervously and blinked once more, probably getting even paler. If at least the room was not twirling, and if only his damn blood pressure would keep at the level and not threaten him to send him into the darkness of unconsciousness!

"That is maybe the meaning of his brain function abnormal readings…"

Everybody turned their face toward the one who spoke: it was Carter and she seemed to have realised something really important.

"What?" Daniel asked, frowning slightly and wondering.

"He must have had some sort of subconscious-generated experiences, like bad dreams or nightmares."

Carter explained her new theory, completely ignoring the colonel that had no idea of what they were talking about and was now shifting his weight on his legs –or maybe he was more staggering as he was feeling even worst by now-.

"That could be plausible: I've been told the Letelk stone had an effect on his mind after all…" Lam replied, her tone also suggesting she was beginning to understand what was going on.

"So those dreams were triggered by the stone…" Carter said.

"Or by its absence, like it did with the withdrawal symptoms …" Daniel added, understanding what Mitchell had now as well.

"Right… great! A brand new explanation for this little freak show! Quite creative this time though… _Withdrawal_, yeah!"

And they all turned around toward who spoke with a so sarcastic tone and scoffed with so much derision it sounded wrong and disturbing. It was Mitchell and he had moved aside slowly hoping he could just get away from the room, helping himself to stay up by leaning on the wall. Yet their discussion where they acted as if they forgot that he was still there to overhear grab his attention, but mostly irritated him even more.

"Cam, don't speak like this; no matter what you went trough it's over now you're back to reality! Tr…" Vala tried to sooth him again, trying as well to hide the concern in her voice.

"_Trust me_… That's what you were gonna say, right?" Mitchell interrupted her, but did not stop walking slowly parallel to the wall. "Sorry hon, but I _can't_ trust you, I can't trust anyone!"

The Mitchell's grim reply and insane tone visibly perturbed Mal Doran and she half opened her mouth, though she could not answer anything to this. Plus, with SG1's legendary bad timing, the nurse Lam signalled was in fact coming back with two male hospital-attendants and what seemed to be a syringe. No doubt it was a sedative; no doubt the two men were there to overcome him and the situation would most probably end as it already happened: the pilot would be forced back to bed and would be restrained. And that was something Cam had enough of…

But before he could try anything to escape, Teal'c stepped into the men's way, keeping them and the nurse to reach the pilot. Slightly spreading his arms in a protective way, he spoke with a serious tone:

"I believe it is not necessary: we are able to handle ColonelMitchell without the use of strength."

Those three wanted to protest, and the others in the room were probably doubtful but Teal'c team-mates, but they did not: the Jaffa was determined and intimidating. When he was convinced the men would not try anything against Cam yet, Teal'c faced the broken man –that by the way thought that the others agreeing to forget about the use of strength was too good to be true- and spoke again:

"ColonelMitchell, we wish you no harm; ValaMalDoran is speaking the truth."

"Exactly: Mitchell, it really is us!" Jackson added, trying to convince the pilot as well.

The SG1 leader stopped moving slowly forward against the wall: he was not feeling well at all and feared he would just leap ungracefully to the floor if he kept on standing up on his feet. But damn, he could not let the other know he was weakening by every minute even if his sight was getting as blurred as his thoughts were: he could still be living those illusions, suffering he did not know what kind of interrogation…

"That's th'problem: _how_ canI know it's true, how… canI believ' anything I'm seein' when every time t'looked so real… That's…s… _sick_, just sick…"

They all exchanged a glance but Mitchell: he was obviously slurring his world, even lurching oddly to the side no matter if he was heavily leaning on the wall for support. Then, suddenly, the man's knees buckled under him and he would have painfully crashed to the hard floor if Vala was not the first to react. Though the pilot was still heavy enough to send them both to the floor after she stumbled for a short moment. So he was now lying the back on the floor and his head resting shortly on Vala's lap, trying faintly to sit up and break from her protective hold as Lam and the others from SG1 were hurrying to join them. Soon enough, about 7 or 8 hand were on him: on his chest and shoulders and arms to hold him down, on the forearm above his injured wrist to keep him from hurting himself even more by fighting this way, on his other wrist to take his pulse, on his forehead to check for fever… Yet he was nearly oblivious to their care as he felt he was very close to losing consciousness, his sight already fainting and his hearing overwhelmed by a kind of low humming that was muffling every other sounds or voices.

"Go get the Letelk stone; he threw it that way…"

Someone said, but Cam hardly understood what was going on as what seemed to be the male attendants and Teal'c were taking hold of him and helping him back to his bed. Mitchell was panting, having palpitations, feeling his limbs slightly shake and feeling nauseous again, people were trying to settle him comfortably on the mattress… Could it really be withdrawal symptoms?

"Here, put it on him…"

Someone else said and out of the blurred and confused vision Cam had, he could discern someone handing out a blue spherical and familiar thing. The very moment the thing touched his chest, it was as if somebody had waken him up by throwing a bucket of icy water at him: the dizziness, the weakness and the nausea disappeared immediately and he regained as fast is hearing, his sight, his sense of touch and his clearer mind.

Cam gasped with surprise and tried to sit up, but the Jaffa and Daniel put their hands on his shoulders to hold him flat against the bed. Lam signalled once more the nurse with the syringe to approach, but again she was stopped before she could even try to inject the sedative by Vala. Mal Doran in fact came to Mitchell's side and gently grabbed each side of the man's face to force him to pay attention to her instead of struggling.

The look in his baby blue eyes -so lost, confused and pushed to the edge- disturbed her when she met his glance, but she did not wait any longer to speak to him on a comforting tone:

"Please, just calm down a minute and hear what we are saying, I only ask you a minute and then you will judge if all of this is real or not. But I tell you: you are awake now, it's over and we'll only help you."

"Vala, is that really all about the Letelk piece of shit thing?" The pilot whispered huskily, absolutely bewildered and unable to decide if what he is experiencing is real or not.

"Of course it is." She answered whispering as well, hoping they succeeded calming him down. The fact he was calling her by her name seemed to be a good improvement.

"…And how am-I supposed to know that it's the truth?..." He said, still on a low tone, but slightly colder and bitterer.

"Well, now you can feel and…" Vala began, a little taken aback by Mitchell's reply.

"I tried worst than the classical _pinch me; I must be dreaming _and it actually _felt_ real even if it obviously wasn't!" Cam interrupted her, raising his tone as anger threatened to overtake him once more, now being heard be his other friends at his side.

"You bashed your arm on a monitor; doctor Lam says you broke your wrist…Maybe that's what you felt." Daniel commented, hoping he play down the importance of the situation.

"I…" Cam wanted to snap back with vehemence about how worst than only a wrist ache it was, but he preferred not to complain at all so he instead let his head fall back on the pillow and sighed: "Never mind…"

He was tired of all this, he wanted to stop thinking for once and to not having to tell the difference between the realistic illusions and the too good to be true hypothetical reality. But at the same time, he had so much new information to ponder on… Fortunately, doctor Lam got the message from Mitchell's look:

"Ok, I thing you should all be leaving now." She told Cam's team-mates, glancing at them with the _he's-in-no shape-to keep-on-that-way-and-we-better-be-saving-him-now_ look.

"But he needs…" Vala began to protest with concern, but was quickly interrupted when Carter pat her on the shoulder.

"Carolyn is right: we should let Mitchell rest..." She said calmly and with a slight sympathetic smile, before talking to the pilotthis time: "We will come back later to make sure you don't need anything."

"Yeah, _thanks_ for caring…"

Cam whispered with bitter sarcasm, in a way that meant more like: _yeah whatever, that won't change anything_... He stayed lying on his back, not fighting the others anymore, staring blankly to the ceiling; ignoring the annoyance on Daniel's face, the sorry look Carter had and the concerned and hurt look on Mal Doran's face. She wanted to stay with him and comfort him, but he did not look talkative at all now, only sombre and harsh. They saluted him, he did not respond but with a dismissive and uncaring grunt, and they finally leaved. Only Carolyn and a nurse remained then, the other infirmary employees going back to their usual work.

Lam worked without a word, understanding that in fact Cameron needed more time to think: she gathered the tools she needed and was ready to set back the IV line as it should be.

"Colonel, I have to install back your intra venal line…" She calmly warned him, fearing he might struggle once more.

Yet Cam simply sighed and pinched his nose bridge for a short moment with his able hand before handing it out slowly to the physician, not feeling like fighting anymore whatever if he was with his victorious enemies or with the real doctor. He did not flinch when she insert the needle and the fine tube, he wanted until she was done before setting his arm back to his side, still starring vacantly at the ceiling above him. Soon, Carolyn took care of the IV bag on the pole than closed the curtain around the bed before leaving the poor man alone.

He felt mirthless relief when he began to feel his eyelids and limbs going heavy and numb: Carolyn was still kind and compassionate enough to put some sedating medicine in the IV; he abandoned himself to, at last, a dreamless sleep…

**To be continued: next chapter will be the last, the epilogue :P**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: yeah, it took me too much time to write ( I'm telling this in case somebody actually waited for this chapter 'cause I doubt that story was that good to wait for…)**

**In this chapter, there are a lot of references to my previous fiction (since this one is the sequel of the pitiful first one) so I just hope you remember enough details about it **_**if**_** you read it… And I added some hints of Cam/Val…**

Time passed quite quickly after he first woke up to the reality; he woke up several hours later as _Lam's crew _were taking the blue alien stone away from him to keep on with the custom but strict detoxification procedure. Ironically enough, he later learned that he must have stayed unconscious and restless for about merely 48 or 50 hours since the surgery to remove the Letelk spike was performed on him. He bitterly scoffed at that disclosure, unable to believe it, remembering way too well that, to him, in his fever-induced delusions, he lived what seemed to be one of the most excruciating and anguishing _week_ of his career.

However, he was truly convinced that he did experienced the worst nightmare of his whole life and, at first, only recalling what happened would immediately leave him sullen and as in a mute pain; the kind of pain that lingers only in someone's mind. The kind of pain that makes you feel like doing nothing at all but lie in the dark and alone.

His team, his friends, they gave him enough time to gather his thoughts and to at last convince himself he was indeed facing reality, never pushing him, never harassing him about what he lived when he was stuck into those artificially induced bad dreams; still they were always there for him, ready to listen to him when he wanted to talk, every one of them bringing comfort in their own way.

After all, -and SGC's psychologist confirmed and explained it very clearly at the briefing with them and the concerned people- they could not let the lt. colonel to withdraw into himself after a very probably traumatizing experience and become a bitter and sombre man. He had already lost his _impish-and-always-grinning-boyish manners_ -like Mal Doran once expressed someday in the mess hall- after he first woke up; and a grave, cynical, way too still, unconcerned, silent and naysayer Cameron was making them uncomfortable so much it was out of his usual character!

But within the week that followed, Teal'c, Carter, Jackson and Vala progressively went through the cold iron walls Mitchell had built to guard his feelings and his mind, as the detoxification treatment was working very well in addition and at the same time. The further he could go away from the infirmary and the damned Letelk stone, and the closer he could get to his team-mates, the better Cam was getting.

Who said recovering from an alienate addiction wrecking his system when he was no longer exposed to the rock, from experiencing some of his worst fears -including watching his friends die over and over again because of him-, from suffering unnecessary an never ending pain and from having to deal with that near-miss with insanity was easy anyway?!

Though he had his friends with him, and soon he realised that, by being gloomy all the time, he was also being very selfish: his team-mates obviously were worrying about him; they were bitter only because he would remain closed to them, they stopped participating in the current missions at SGC … Plus, he realized, Earth and many other planets needed them; needed Teal'c, Carter, Jackson and even Vala. So when they were there, trying to cheer him up, he was only holding them back, threatening their job, friendship and all those who depended on them.

So Mitchell had to forget about all those tormenting memories; he had to get back to work even if he was tired or aching from the withdrawal; he had to smile to people, tell jokes, talk to them and all even if he only felt like lying on his back, alone and in the dark. And it the more he was forcing himself to do so, the easiest it was getting so much that, after a week, he was mostly back to his old self and the detoxification was very close to be completed. Mitchell was still a bit exhausted, had report to the infirmary once a day, but he was allowed to go back to his quarters and soon, Lam told him, he would be able to go back on mission with his beloved team.

0000000000

Yesterday, SGC's psychologist along with doctor Lam finally agreed to finally say that, after an unexpected really fast improvement the last week, Cameron was clear to get back to active duty and ready to be in charge of SG1. To the man, that was a relief, the proof that what the false Adria and all the others were wrong when they tried to convince him that he had lost his sanity and any opportunity to go back to the job he liked the most. The colonel knew that _they_ were only figments of his back at the time feverish imagination, that _they_ were only part of his worst fears' representation, but somehow he could not help but believe he would have no future if he had truly lost his mind then.

Just as he finished tying up his boots –trying to not think about that one delusion where he ran around at SGC half dressed up- Cam heard someone knocking softly at the door. He opened up right on Vala, the woman having a kind of unsure and awkward look on her pretty face as she was standing there, one hand playing with the tip of her dark hair.

"Hey." Slightly surprised, Cameron greeted her, not expecting her at his door that early –he shot a look at his watch-.

"Hey... So I heard you are now free to go…" She said, and Cam oddly felt as if she was trying to look uncaring.

"Yeah, and I'm going through a briefing about everything that happened while I was out of order in an hour or so." Mitchell said with a humorous one and a mocking smirk.

"Oh, and they are planning to send you off world with that?... Couldn't you use the stone to repair it all?"

Vala asked, pointing at the cast he was wearing since he broke his wrist while he was delirious. The flyboy looked down on it shortly, and then smiled back to her when he saw the amused look in her eyes. A thought stroke him: wasn't she at his bedside more often than usual lately? And since he was out of the infirmary, she would often come to visit him and not even to mock him then!

"I'd rather heal all by myself… and it's not like I'm out to drive snowmobiles yet… But you couldn't possibly understand: you slept all the way back to the 'Gate…" He teased her about the last catastrophic mission and was rewarded for his wittiness when she broke into one of her adorable smiles.

"A least I was not the one acting like a total reckless fool…" She teased back as a reply.

Cameron scoffed softly and became more serious, guilt stricken as he tried more apoplectically: "Hey, I'm sorry for acting like a total jerk, I had plenty time to think about it and I know I really shouldn't act like I did and take all those useless risks… In a way I was threatening your lives, all of you and that is something I really can't…" He did not know what to say then, he had much to apologize for even with what happened to him when he was in withdrawal.

"It's all right, you really scared me when you willingly took all those shots, but it was not your fault, you were not quite yourself…"

Mal Doran said, the sorry look on his face making her forget about all the reproaches she had for him since then. She leaved the doorway to come in, half closing the door behind her and sat on his desk; she knew he did not want to be overheard by anyone passing by.

"No, I was too much like myself…" Cameron said remorsefully as he lowered his baby blue eyes, angry at himself for the time he failed his leader role.

"Hey, don't you say that, you're acting too much like yourself again! It was not your fault after all…" Vala said softly with an obviously faked reproachful tone, trying to allay his worries, but interrupt herself when she saw the look on the man's face. "Ok, ok, it was your fault, but not much, and you never wanted that mission to end like that… And I was the one that thoroughly shot you three times, remember?"

This time she made him laugh softly. Vala could see that his remorse seemed at least to be washed away -by her way to try to reassure him but then to end up being the one feeling guilty for all of what happened-.

"How could I not remember?... But don't worry at least you're not to blame this time…" Mitchell said mischievously.

"What do you mean by: not to blame _this time_ ?"

Yet before she could keep on being offended and before she could think of insisting until he tells her everything, Mitchell pulls his hands out in a gesture meaning he could not help and, as he was impishly grinning and already backing up toward the door, he said:

"Talkin' about time; I think I better get going… I just can't be late for this meeting or else General Landry will be the one shooting at me…"

"You think he would?" She asked innocently, teasing him.

"Who really knows?..." He replied with a playful smirk.

But as he was going to open the door and get into the corridor, Mal Doran jumped off the desk and came to his side, telling him:

"Oh and, I nearly forgot: Carolyn found these when she performed the first surgery…"

On this, Vala reached for her jeans' left pocket and took something out of it, as Mitchell was watching her cautiously, frowning as he was wondering what she would come up with this time. Yet both his eyebrows bolted up as she handed him three small pieces of metal: three bullets she dropped in his hand. He forgot about these as well: it was when Vala accidentally shot him three times in his side, back on the damned old falling to pieces pirate ship, when she mistook him with an enemy guard. Ok, ok, to tell the truth he knew for the shots, but the thing he forgot was about the bullets that stayed inside him. He probably would have never noticed until all the other pain signals would wear off…

Cam looked back at her, looked in her pale eyes in silence and saw for the first time in those pale eyes that she cared for him, maybe more than just how friends care for each others… And he remembered how pleasant it was to be with her when he was recovering from the last mission, how often he worried about her in those fever induced delusions that wrecked havoc in his mind weeks ago… Was he so blind? Or was it just what he always wanted but never knew? Or maybe he always knew he wanted to be closer to her yet did not pay attention to this growing feeling?...

"Wow… thanks. Those will make some great… _souvenirs…_"

Cam answered, feeling at the same time uncomfortable by the great realisation, wondering if it was not all because of his wild imagination, but also afraid he would disappoint her in any way if her feelings were true.

"I thought all military men loved showing off their scars and the bullets that nearly sent them he other side…" Vala said.

"Well that depends… Do I look like I'm one of them?" He was starting to tease her softly again; he could not help but feeling like a foolish kidding teenager meeting for the first time the woman he could love with passion…

"Do I have to answer that?" Vala was smiling as well.

"Were you going to tell me anything vaguely insulting?"

"You are going to _court-martial_ me?"

"Don't make me pull rank on you…" He impishly threatened, though obviously not seriously meaning to do so.

"You are no back as the_ infamous_ _captain_ yet: you still have to go to this meeting first… But, again, do I really have to answer that?"

"Ok, I get it… But let say… I leave you until diner to think about a smart reply." Cam said, laughing.

"Oh, diner to the mess hall? That's a _rendezvous_?" Mal Doran said, and even winked at him.

"That's a good start if you ask me!" The man acted as if he was offended only to, once more, taunt her.

"Alright alright, I will wear my cutest _green shapeless and insipid_ uniform just for this occasion… Now you should be going; you'll be late…"

Vala replied with humour, pushing the taller man forward until they both leaved the room. Cameron could not help but chuckle, willingly letting her drive him this way for a few meters in the corridor. After all, when you stop ignoring her, she become less annoying and that is when you realize she is mostly fun-loving… The colonel suddenly turned around to face her and, as if he was going to tell her a very important secret, he whispered to her:

"And you know what, I'll even let you have my Jell-O portion if you still want it…"

Then, his smartass grin still on his face, Cameron walked away and heading for the briefing room, leaving an extremely amused Vala. He went though all this angst, pain and anxiety, he survived the awful monster and brought back his team all way healthier than he was, he was now to go back to what he was the best at, he had time to face his worst fear and convince himself that nothing as horrible would happen as long as he was with his friends and team-mates, well working together… After all, he thought, it could have been way worst… Was Vala really so much worried about him?...

Pondering on the woman's feeling, Colonel Mitchell made his way through that good old Cheyenne Mountain base…

**The End**

**Hope you still liked it even with my lousy english** :D


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